New housing mortgages nearly quadrupled – from a low base – in the first quarter of this year

New housing mortgages nearly quadrupled – from a low base – in the first quarter of this year, the National Bank of Ukraine reports. Nationwide, mortgages totaled only $22 million. Interfax-Ukraine writes: “Issuing less than 3,000 loans a year cannot affect the market: only in Kyiv on the secondary housing market annually more than 30,000 purchase and sale contracts are signed.” Many buyers buy apartments on installment plans financed by developers. In a central bank poll of 24 banks, 13 predicted that bank home mortgage loans volumes would increase by over 10% a year.