Mortgage loan volume falls 22 percent in 2019

The volume of mortgage loans taken out by Czechs in 2019 fell 17 percent compared to the year before to CZK 181.6bn. Over the same period, the number of loans dropped 22 percent to 77,400 with the fall being attributed to stricter restrictions by the Czech National Bank placed on applicants. The fact that interest rates fell almost constantly over the course of the year did not bring the market back. At the beginning of the year, rates stood at 3 percent but they had fallen by December to just 2.34 percent. To qualify, applicants cannot request a loan that exceeds nine times their annual income.