Result

2024

Interest rate puts pressure on indebted households

2024-03-07 | Mortgage Reports News

Households continue to be under pressure from both higher interest rates and other costs. This is evident in FI’s mortgage report, which is being published today. The report looks at new mortgagors during the autumn of 2023. We can see that there are fewer mortgagors than in previous years. Home buyers also bought slightly less expensive homes and borrowed slightly less. Total lending to households has stagnated, but despite this household indebtedness continues to be high.

2023

Rising interest costs putting pressure on mortgagors

2023-03-28 | Mortgage News Stability

Mortgagors are under pressure from rising interest rates. At the same time, the majority of new mortgagors continue to have good margins in their personal finances. These are the conclusions drawn by Finansinspektionen in this year’s Swedish Mortgage Market report, which is being presented today.

The Swedish Mortgage Market 2023

Mortgagors are under pressure from rising interest rates. At the same time, the majority of new mortgagors continue to have good margins in their personal finances. These are the conclusions drawn by Finansinspektionen in this year’s Swedish Mortgage Market report, which is being presented today.

2022

Many households are sensitive to higher interest rates

2022-04-20 | Mortgage News Stability

New mortgagors took out loans that were 12 per cent larger last year than in 2020. The average loan-to-value ratio for new mortgagors rose from 307 to 327 per cent. This is the highest figure since FI started its mortgage survey. The stricter amortisation requirement has slowed rising loan-to-income ratios. The high debt means that borrowers’ personal finances are under more pressure when interest rates rise.

The Swedish Mortgage Market 2022

Swedish households continue to take increasingly larger loans. More new mortgagors than in previous years had both a high loan-to-income ratio and a high loan-to-value ratio. Higher inflation and rising interest rates mean that mortgagors have smaller margins in their personal finances. This decreases the consumption capacity at the same time as the mortgagors’ ability to repay their loan is impaired.

2021

Mortgages must be amortised again

The rules on amortisation go into effect as normal again after 31 August. The temporary exemption that Finansinspektionen (FI) introduced due to the exceptional uncertainty in the economy during the spring of 2020 is now ending. This means that households with high loan-to-value and debt-to-income ratios must amortise their mortgages.

Overall assessment of macroprudential measures

Since 2010, FI has implemented a number of macroprudential measures aimed at increasing the resilience in the financial system and subduing the risks associated with high and rising household debt. These measures include tightening the capital requirements on banks and introducing a mortgage cap and two amortisation requirements. In this report, we present an overall assessment of these measures, with a focus on the measures that, via lenders, place restrictions on households’ mortgage borrowing.

Macroprudential measures subdue household loans

2021-06-30 | Mortgage News Stability

The mortgage cap and amortisation requirements have had intended effect and subdued household debt. They are slowing a scenario where new mortgagors borrow more, taking larger loans in relation to the value of the home or their income. These are the conclusions of Finansinspektionen’s (FI) evaluation of the macroprudential measures implemented in Sweden.

FI Analys No 34: Temporary amortisation exemption led to new mortgagors borrowing

The temporary amortisation exemption resulted in new mortgagors borrowing almost 4 per cent more and buying homes that were approximately 1 per cent more expensive, concludes a new FI Analysis.

FI Analysis No. 33: Household debt and resilience

The ability to borrow is beneficial to households in many ways. At the same time, debt can make their consumption more sensitive to unexpected changes in interest rates, income, and house prices. This, in turn, can affect how the economy evolves in a crisis. But measures that lead to lower debt don’t necessarily increase the resilience of all households. To assess the effects of borrower-based measures, it is necessary to also consider households’ balance sheets, in particular their liquid assets.

New borrowers are taking larger mortgages

2021-03-24 | Mortgage News Stability

New borrowers are continuing to take larger mortgages in relation to their income and the value of their home, according to this year’s Swedish Mortgage Market, which is being presented today by Finansinspektionen (FI). FI also announces in the report that the temporary exemption from the amortisation requirement will end on 31 August.

The Swedish Mortgage Market (2021)

New borrowers continue to take larger mortgages in relation to their income and the value of their home. At the same time, they have good margins for servicing their loans under weaker economic conditions.

FI Analysis 28: Liquid assets of Swedish households

Aggregate statistics indicate that Swedish households are holding significant assets in the form of cash, bank savings, fund shares and securities. The overall value corresponds today to an average of SEK 1 million per household. However, because these economic buffers are unevenly distributed between households, the average is a poor measure for assessing the risk of a significant drop in consumption following an economic shock.

2020

FI Analysis 25: Interest rate deductions and households’ loans

The tax rebate for interest expenses – the interest deduction – means that households borrow more, and can and want to pay more for homes. This means that the households experience an increase in both their liabilities and assets, which in turn could have an impact on the stability of the financial system. In this FI Analysis, we calculate the impact of a change to the interest deduction. The reason for this analysis is the direct link between interest deductions and households’ loans.

Banks may grant all mortgagors amortisation exemption

Banks will have the possibility of offering all new and existing mortgagors an exemption from the amortisation requirements due to the spread of the coronavirus and its effects on the Swedish economy. The exemption will be in force until the end of June 2021. This enables Finansinspektionen to provide all mortgagors with greater manoeuvrability in these uncertain times.

The Swedish Mortgage Market (2020)

The percentage of new mortgagors with a high level of debt in relation to either their income or the value of the home continues to be high. New mortgagors in 2019 increased their average loan-to-income ratio. The average loan-to-value ratio also increased in 2019 among new mortgagors, thus breaking the trend of falling loan-to-value ratios since 2013.

2019

FI Analysis 19: Young adults and the housing market

This FI Analysis shows that the the increase in house prices is the primary reason it has become more difficult for young adults to buy a home.

Erik Thedéen: Diversity on the mortgage market is healthy

FI’s Director General participated in the seminar Evolution of Mortgage Finance arranged by Stabelo for a broad group of institutional investors.

The Swedish Mortgage Market (2019)

High debt can mean risks for individual households, banks, financial stability and macroeconomic development. The mortgage survey serves as an important basis for the assessment of the risks associated with household debt.

FI-analysis 17: Fewer Vulnerable Households after Stricter Amortisation Requirement

Under FI's stricter amortisation requirement, which went into effect on 1 March 2018, new mortgagors with debt in excess of 450 per cent of gross income must amortise 1 percentage point more of their loan per year in addition to the existing requirement. The objective of the stricter requirement is to strengthen resilience of households by decreasing the number of mortgagors who have high debt in relation to their income.