Dutch property lending volume plunges further in 2012

The production of commercial real estate loans almost halved last year from EUR 12 bn to EUR 6.6 bn, according to research from PropertyNL, the Dutch sister publication of PropertyEU. Compared to 2008, this marks a decline of 70%. At the peak of the market in 2007, lending production reached EUR 27 bn.

Prospects for 2012 based on figures for the first half of the year point to a further downward trend, editor in chief Wabe van Enk said. In the first half, production was confined to less than EUR 2 bn. The survey is based on figures from all the leading commercial real estate lenders in the Netherlands.

The retreat of SNS Property Finance has caused a huge gap in the market. Five years ago, SNS ranked third with production of around EUR 5.6 bn, after FGH Bank (a subsidiary of Rabobank) and ING Real Estate Finance. The troubled bank is now seeking to sell down its lending portfolio.

The figures indicate that the Dutch property financing market is shrinking faster than other European markets. In the UK, the number of players still active is significantly larger than in the Netherlands where three players dominate nearly 90% of the market. In Germany, financing is facilitated by the pfandbrief system.