Lending to households falls 4% in 12 months

Lending to households fell 4% in the 12 months to the end of January following a 3.9% decrease in December, according to figures released by the Central Bank.

Mortgage lending was down 1.8% on an annual basis at the end of January while lending for consumption and other purposes fell by 10% over the same period.

“Lending to households declined by €816m during the month of January, following a net monthly decrease of €372m during December,” the report states.