The Bank of Greece’s latest bank lending survey found that credit standards for corporate, housing and consumer loans remained unchanged in the third quarter of 2026, while loan demand was broadly stable. Household borrowing terms diverged, tightening somewhat for housing loans but easing somewhat for consumer credit. Noninterest charges drove the tightening in housing loan terms, while reduced bank margins on both average and riskier loans eased terms for consumer and other credit. Corporate loan terms remained unchanged, with demand almost flat despite a slight decline. Housing loan demand was almost unchanged, while consumer loan demand was unchanged. The share of rejected applications remained unchanged across corporate, housing and consumer loans. For the fourth quarter of 2026, banks expect credit standards to remain unchanged across all three loan categories. Demand for housing and consumer loans is also expected to remain unchanged, while corporate demand is forecast to remain almost flat with a slight increase.
Bank of Greece reports unchanged lending standards as housing loan terms tighten and consumer credit terms ease
The Bank of Greece’s latest lending survey shows unchanged credit standards and broadly steady loan demand in the third quarter of 2026. Housing loan terms tightened somewhat because of noninterest charges, while consumer credit terms eased as banks reduced margins. Banks expect standards to remain unchanged in the fourth quarter, with household loan demand steady and corporate demand almost flat with a slight increase.