In September, deposits in Spanish banks grew for the first time in six months (+1,2% over August). Last July – when the crisis in the Spanish financial sector exploded – they had instead recorded a contraction of 4,7%. This was announced by the ECB, underlining that the figure signals a return of confidence in the peripheral countries of the eurozone and goes in the same direction as the figures relating to Italy and Greece.
Again in September, deposits with Italian banks reached a new all-time high (with an increase of 2,1%), while those with Greek institutions (+1%) returned to their highest levels since last May. Conversely, those of German and French banks decreased by 0,1% in both cases.
As for loans requested by households and businesses, they decreased by 0,4% in Italy and 0,2% in Spain, while they increased by 0,2% in France. Also in September, Italian banks carried out net purchases of government bonds for 5,1 billion euro. Net buyers of government bonds also turned out to be institutions in Greece (for 300 million euros) and Spain (for 8,5 billion euros).
