Demand for loans in the second quarter of 2020 declined to their lowest since 2009 as banks tightened credit standards despite efforts by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to release more money into the system
In a virtual briefing Monday, BSP Department of Economic Research (DER) acting Deputy Director Lara Romina Ganapin said results of the second-quarter 2020 Senior Bank Loan Officers’ survey (SLOS) done from June 1 to July 7, 2020 showed that demand fell primarily due to borrowers’ outlook on their ability to pay and low desire to borrow.
The result of the latest SLOS showed a large number of bank officers who reported tighter credit standards, a first after 44 consecutive quarters of unchanged credit standards.
Ganapin said the tightening of credit standards applies to all types of loans for enterprises and households.
“Respondent banks attributed the tightening of over-all credit standards to less favorable economic outlook, deterioration in the profile of borrowers and profitability of banks’ portfolios and an overall risk tolerance of banks, among other factors,” she said.