THE TRANSFORMATION OF RETAIL CREDIT FINANCING IN THE WAKE OF THE CRISES IN HUNGARY

Abstract

The money abundance that preceded the 2008 crisis brought about a number of distortions in the value judgements of economic actors and their attitudes towards money. Unlimited liquidity generated a huge supply of credit, which all economic players exploited beyond their means. The crisis-induced downturn caused huge problems in the repayment of loans. Tens of thousands of families and businesses have faced problems in surviving, caused by increased credit burdens. As a consequence, attitudes towards credit changed significantly after the crisis. For the Hungarian households too, excessive borrowing before the crisis caused huge problems. In Hungary, the problem was not only with the volume of credit, but also with its denomination. The proliferation of foreign currency lending and the exchange rate risk that it entailed was a huge challenge for tens of thousands of families, which they could only overcome with state support. The aim of this study is to examine the borrowing of households in Hungary over a number of years, looking in particular at its composition and the types of credit. In this study, the analysis was based on the household stock data of the Hungarian National Bank. The aim of the work is to show the trends and changes in Hungarian household borrowing in the wake of the crises. The analysis reveals the effects of the crises, which can be reduced by increasing financial awareness. The study provides a good basis for strengthening the financial culture of Hungarian households, which areas limit future irresponsible borrowing and provide a good shield against crises in the financial field.