GHB firm on homes for low-to-mid income groups
Play
The Government Housing Bank will go ahead with four urgent programmes to create opportunities for low- to medium-income earners to buy their own houses, while preparing to raise its soft loan budget by Bt10 billion.
Surachai Danaitangtrakul, the new chairman, said yesterday that the GHB would support the government’s economic stimulus policy through these four schemes – soft loans for low- to medium-income earners, the Ban Pracharat housing project, e-payment development and education for those who want to own a house.
As of Tuesday, it had received applications for Bt15 billion in soft loans and had already approved Bt5.27 billion. It expects approvals to reach the quota of Bt10 billion by the middle of this month.
If that happens, the bank’s board will meet late this month to extend the amount by Bt10 billion, he said.
For the Ban Pracharat project, the GHB will join the National Housing Authority and developers for soft loans that will allow low-income earners to have their own home. This will also help narrow the social gap.
To promote e-payment system development, the bank is now studying its debit and credit cards.
It will dispatch its specialists in residential loans and savings to clinics, which will provide people more knowledge on the process for buying a home.
Its new loans as of the end-October were Bt119.08 billion, about 80 per cent of this year’s target. Outstanding loans totalled Bt840.51 billion.
Its capital adequacy ratio was 15.46 per cent, against the Bank of Thailand’s minimum requirement of 8.50 per cent. The GHB has joined forces with developers and the credit bureau to hold the “GHB and Residential Exhibition – Loans for People” fair in Khon Kaen, Songkhla, Chiang Mai and Chon Buri.
The roadshow will help low- and medium-income earners to access home loans.
