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Elder Lister
Default on mortgages jumped 41 percent to Sh38 billion, pointing to widespread distress in the real estate sector as Kenya’s economy slows down and property auctions pick up.
Latest Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data shows that mortgages recorded the highest growth in non-performing loans (NPLs) last year from Sh27.2 billion in 2017, reflecting the struggle by investors to find buyers for their houses amid dwindling returns.
Unpaid mortgages increased by Sh11.2 billion or 41.1 percent, a rise that outpaced other segments like manufacturing (19 percent), traders (4 per cent) and personal loans (six percent) in growth of default on loans, the BK said.
The mounting defaults in the property market are a reflection of the struggles that mortgage holders are undergoing in an economy that has witnessed a string of job losses in recent months across nearly all sectors as corporates intensify austerity measures to protect profits.
This has seen workers who took mortgages on the strength of their pay slips default with the slowdown in real estate hurting property developers who are finding it difficult to sell units that were built on loans.
www.businessdailyafrica.com
Latest Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data shows that mortgages recorded the highest growth in non-performing loans (NPLs) last year from Sh27.2 billion in 2017, reflecting the struggle by investors to find buyers for their houses amid dwindling returns.
Unpaid mortgages increased by Sh11.2 billion or 41.1 percent, a rise that outpaced other segments like manufacturing (19 percent), traders (4 per cent) and personal loans (six percent) in growth of default on loans, the BK said.
The mounting defaults in the property market are a reflection of the struggles that mortgage holders are undergoing in an economy that has witnessed a string of job losses in recent months across nearly all sectors as corporates intensify austerity measures to protect profits.
This has seen workers who took mortgages on the strength of their pay slips default with the slowdown in real estate hurting property developers who are finding it difficult to sell units that were built on loans.
Mortgage defaults hit Sh38bn, auctions jump
Spike in property seizures as home loans defaults rise fastest at 41 percent, according to Central Bank of Kenya data.
