Household borrowing for home purchases rises to 9.6 index points — CBN
Credit demand among Nigerian households for house purchases rose to 9.6 index points in the second quarter of 2026 (Q2 2026), indicating increased borrowing by consumers to finance personal home purchases.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) disclosed this in its Credit Conditions Survey Report for Q2 2026 released on Tuesday.
According to the apex bank, lenders reported increased credit availability across secured, unsecured and corporate lending during the quarter. Lenders also recorded lower default rates across several lending categories.
The CBN said demand for secured lending increased to 15.1 index points, while corporate lending rose to 15.2 index points. However, demand for unsecured lending remained subdued at -1.2 index points.
For households, consumer loans increased by 11.2 index points, while credit for house purchases rose by 9.6 index points. Lending to small businesses increased significantly to 26.4 index points.
Mortgage and re-mortgage lending to households also increased to 13.3 index points.
On unsecured lending, the CBN reported that overdraft and personal loans to households rose to 7.9 index points. However, credit card lending declined to -2.0 index points.
Corporate lending also recorded growth during the quarter. Lending to small businesses increased to 26.5 index points, while lending to medium-sized private non-financial corporations (PNFCs) rose to 25.5 index points.
Credit to large PNFCs also increased to 8.9 index points, while lending to other financial corporations (OFCs) remained unchanged at 0.0 index points.
The CBN further reported that default rates declined across secured and unsecured lending during the quarter.
Default rates also fell across all major corporate lending categories, including small businesses, medium-sized PNFCs, large PNFCs and other financial corporations.
The latest figures indicate stronger demand for household and business credit during Q2 2026, particularly for housing and small-business financing, alongside improved repayment performance reported by lenders.
