Demand for Dutch Mortgages surges in COVID-19 pandemic, limited use of payment holidays

Download the full Dynamic Credit Quarterly Update 2020-Q2 or sign up to receive the next update by e-mail.

Dutch mortgage market stirs as Dutch Mortgage demand surges in light of COVID-19 pandemic, causing mortgage providers to react. Use of payment holidays supporting borrowers in financial hardship remains limited.

COVID-Update

The Dutch government supported the economy by introducing new measures and expanding existing measures. Some were focussed on supporting credit and lending, others on employment and business continuity. Additionally, mortgage providers supported borrowers in temporary financial distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by not initiating forced foreclosures and by allowing payment holidays. On average, only 0.6% of Dutch mortgages received payment holidays, a very limited amount relative to other European countries.

“While the lockdown measures were in place, demand for Dutch mortgage loans surged due to frontloading of requests and an increase of requests for refinancing as mortgage rates were increasing.”

Jasper Koops

Surge in offer volume during first months of crisis

Offer volumes peaked in March and April, with levels being 40-50% higher than in January. This surge coincided with the announced COVID-19 lockdown measures, causing borrowers to front-load their applications and sparking an increase in demand for refinancing as rates started to increase.

Dutch housing market stirs

In spite of consumer confidence reaching the lowest point since June 2014, almost 55,000 properties were sold in the last quarter, an increase of 6.5% QoQ and 4.9% YoY. Dutch house prices increased by 1.7% over April and May and 7.3% YoY, with 52% of houses being sold above ask-price. Despite persisting housing shortages, it is expected that house prices will decline at the end of 2020 and in 2021.

Interest rate Netherlands rises across the board

Across all major risk classes and all major fixed rate periods, the top six most competitive interest rates in the Netherlands increased by 17 basis points quarter-on-quarter across on average. The increase was larger in the higher LTV segments.

Spreads increasing

Mortgage spreads increase by an average of 35 basis points, as monetary easing measures cause swap rates to go down and interest rates increase. The average spread increase across all major fixed rate periods and all major risk classes was 35 basis points.

Disclaimer Dynamic Credit Partners Europe B.V. (‘Dynamic Credit’) is a registered investment company (beleggingsondernemingsvergunning) and a registered financial service provider (financieel dienstverlener) with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (Stichting Autoriteit Financiële Markten). This presentation is intended for informational purposes only and is subject to change without any notice.The information provided is purely of an indicative nature and is not intended as an offer, investment advice, solicitation or recommendation for the purchase or sale of any security or financial instrument. Dynamic Credit may in the future issue, other communications that are inconsistent with, and reach different conclusions from, the information presented herein. Dynamic Credit cannot be held liable for the content of this presentation or any decision made by a third party on the basis of this presentation. Potential investors are advised to consult their independent investment and tax adviser before making an investment decision. An investment involves risks. The value of securities may fluctuate. Past returns are no guarantee for future returns.