Residential mortgage loans in negative equity
March quarter 2007

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced today the results of its latest survey on residential mortgage loans (RMLs) in negative equity.¹

The number of RMLs in negative equity decreased by about 1,800 cases to some 6,700 cases² with an aggregate value of HK$11 billion in the three months to end-March 2007.  Compared with the peak of about 106,000 cases at end-June 2003, the number has fallen by 94%.

The estimated unsecured portion of these loans declined to HK$1 billion from HK$2 billion at the end of December 2006.  The loan-to-value ratio of the negative equity RMLs rose to 114% from 113% in end-December 2006.  The three-month delinquency ratio³ of the negative equity RMLs rose to 1.32% from 1.26% at end-December 2006 due to the contraction of the total portfolio of negative equity RMLs.

Annex

For further enquiries please contact:
Hing-fung Wong, Officer (Press), at 2878 1802 or
Thomas Chan, Senior Manager (Press), at 2878 1480

Hong Kong Monetary Authority
7 May 2007

¹The mortgage portfolio of the surveyed authorized institutions represents about 98% of the industry total. The survey results have been extrapolated to approximate the position of the banking sector as a whole.

²The figures derived from the survey relate only to RMLs provided by authorized institutions on the basis of first mortgages and which the reporting institution knows to be in negative equity (i.e. the outstanding loan amount with the reporting institution exceeds the current market value of the mortgaged property). Not included in these figures are some RMLs associated with co-financing schemes which would be in negative equity if taking into account the second mortgage. The extent to which such RMLs are in negative equity is not known because authorized institutions do not maintain records on the outstanding balances of the second mortgages.

³Negative equity RMLs delinquent for more than three months as a percentage of total negative equity RMLs.