Bank of China implements mortgage rule easing measures

Bank of China is the first of the country's big four lenders to confirm the implementation of eased mortgage measures for home buyers, they confirmed in a statement on Friday.

The bank has been following the new measures, which were first formally introduced on Sept. 30 in a joint announcement by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, and the China Banking Regulatory commission, since Oct. 1.

The mortgage rule easing has expanded the pool of eligible home buyers applying for mortgage loans and increased the amount they can borrow by categorizing second home buyers who have fully repaid existing loans as first-time home buyers.

According to the announcement, mortgages on a second home will be treated as a first mortgage if the buyer has no other outstanding mortgages. As a result, people who wish to buy a second home will enjoy the same 30-percent down-payment ratio required of first-time home buyers, instead of the original 60 to 70 percent down-payment ratio.

They will also be allowed interest rates as low as 70 percent of the 6.55-percent benchmark mortgage rate, instead of paying a 10-percent premium on top of the benchmark rate as required previously.

Bank of China said it has authorized branches nationwide to decide on the implementation of these measures based on risk assessment, for instance, the discount of the mortgage rate.

In cities without home purchase restrictions in place, Bank of China branches had the discretion to determine down-payment ratios and mortgage rates when people with two or more homes buy a new home, as long as they have no other outstanding mortgages, it said.

Currently, only the four first-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen still impose home purchase restrictions.

Bank of China said it would speed up mortgage application approvals and meet mortgage demand from first-time home buyers and home upgraders.

The Chinese property market suffered a notable downturn in 2014. Weak market sentiment and home buyers' confidence, sluggish sales, falling prices, and elevated and rising inventory had all weighed on the industry's outlook and consumers' confidence.

Official data showed out of 70 major Chinese cities, new homes in 68 saw month-on-month price declines in August, compared with 64 in July.

Most economists said the broader-than-expected relaxation and the clear credit-easing signal from the Chinese government should be a positive for property market sentiment and house sales.