Nistor, BT: Promotional campaigns helped us double loan sales in March

With lower interest rates and loan promotion campaigns inclusively on TV, Banca Transilvania bankers believe they have managed to "thaw up" clients' appetite for loans. "The market seems to have thawed up. We've carried out a campaign for collateral-free loans and the feedback was very good: sales doubled in March from February," says Gabriela Nistor, retail executive manager with Banca Transilvania, a top bank on the retail segment. As for the market, NBR data show that in January and February the decline in consumer lending volumes, accounting for over three quarters of financing granted to the individual clients, gained momentum. A declining volume means lower interest incomes, at a time when provision expenses are putting high pressure on profitability. As this year bankers can no longer count on the high incomes from treasury operations, either, the only alternative left is to boost lending. "We posted increases on the lending segment, but volumes are not the ones we'd got used to. With all promotional campaigns and the 'First Home' scheme, we should reach a 10-15% increase in placements at yearend," Nistor says.