Home loans inquiries slowing; marked increase in unsecured credit: Report

Home loans, the mainstay of retail lending, witnessed a dip in demand in the December quarter, a credit information company (CIC) said on Wednesday.

However, there has been a 'marked increase' in demand for credit cards and personal loans, which constitute the more stressful unsecured loans portfolio for banks, Transunion Cibil said.

The demand for unsecured lending products is being driven by the adoption of consumption-led credit products, the CIC said.

Inquiry volumes for home loans for the three months ending December 2022 were 1 per cent lower than the year-ago period, while the same for personal loans and credit cards shot up by 50 per cent and 77 per cent, respectively, it added.

From a loan origination perspective, home loans witnessed a 6 per cent dip by volume and 2 per cent by value in the December quarter against a healthy uptick in personal loans, credit cards and two-wheeler loans segment.

It can be noted that the period saw a surge in interest rates, which led to ..