Tepid housing loan demand is exacerbated by tougher loan scrutiny criteria and low interest rates encouraging more homebuyers to pay with cash.
The bank forecast homebuyers paying with cash will rise to an unprecedented 60% of residential value this year, assuming 5% growth in housing sales. Normally home purchases via mortgage are greater than those with cash.
SCB, the country's third-largest lender by assets, aims to lend 115 billion baht in new housing loans this year, a flat loan growth from 2015. However, its mortgages outstanding are expected to surge 5.26% to 600 billion baht in 2016.