The volume of mortgage lending in February 2021 amounted to UAH 457.9 million, which is 40% more than in January and 81% more than in February 2020, according to the results of a survey of banks conducted by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to the report, 617 mortgage loans were issued in February, which is 39% more than a month earlier and 35% more than in the same period last year.
According to the survey, almost 89% of mortgage agreements in the amount of UAH 380 million in February were drawn up with five banks, which indicates the concentration of the mortgage lending market.
The NBU noted that in February, the volume of issuance for the purchase of primary real estate increased by 13% or UAH 7.7 million, to UAH 66.9 million, and on the secondary market – by 47% or UAH 124.2 million, to UAH 388.45 million.
According to the survey results, the secondary market continues to dominate significantly in terms of the number and volume of lending, in particular, the share of mortgage agreements for the purchase of housing in the secondary market in February amounted to about 85% in terms of all new loans.
In the reporting period, the average effective rate of mortgage loans in the secondary market was 13.9% (in January – 13.8%), and in the primary market – 17.1% (in January -15.9%). A noticeable increase in the cost of loans in the primary market in February was due to an increase in the share of new loans in the market of one of the banks active in mortgage lending, which offers borrowers a relatively high effective interest rate, the regulator explained.
According to the NBU, in a regional context, most mortgage loans in February were issued in Kyiv – 171 agreements totaling UAH 177 million (39% of the total), in Kyiv region – 84 agreements totaling UAH 78.5 million (17%), in Kharkiv region – 76 contracts for a total amount of almost 43 million UAH (9%), in Lviv region – 36 contracts for a total amount of UAH 28.3 million and in Dnipropetrovsk region – 45 contracts for a total amount of UAH 24.2 million.