In the first quarter of 2017, loans by cooperative banks and local communities to their reference customers (households and small and medium-sized enterprises) increased compared to the same period of 2016 by more than the national system average. In particular, the flow of new loans in the first three months of the year was over 7 billion euro for medium and small businesses and almost 4 billion euros for loans to families for the purchase of a house. Confidence and the consequent collection of savings also grew robustly, with deposits increasing by 12% over the 6 months, with the sight component accelerating further to +7,5%.
For the Secretary General of the Association of Popular Banks, Giuseppe DeLucia Lumeno: “The data show how, albeit with great sacrifices, the Italian economy is consolidating the long-desired growth thanks to the clear recovery of the local economies. A result – continued De Lucia Lumeno – made possible by a bond that continues to be strong despite the blows inflicted on local banks which have maintained that spirit of unity and trust with local production companies and communities which has made it possible to face difficulties and obstacles of a long and extremely complex adverse cyclical phase”.
