Chart of the Day: Housing loans comprise largest portion of banks' lending

Housing loans make up 27% of loans from DBS and UOB.

Housing loans remain the biggest part of banks’ lending, as this chart from Maybank shows. 

In 2004, the highest proportion of housing loans was seen in Singapore's three biggest banks. Housing loans took 34%, 32%, and 23% of loans from DBS, OCBC, and UOB, respectively.

It was reduced to 23% (DBS), 24% (OCBC and DBS) in 2008. In 2014, UOB got the highest proportion of housing loans at 27%. This is compared to DBS' 19%.

Looking at the proportion of loans in the first quarter of the year in 2017, UOB still holds the largest proportion of housing loans at 27%, same with OCBC. DBS on the other hand has 21% of loans to the housing sector.

Check out the chart to see the Singapore banks' loan breakdown by sector.