Czechs consumers took out 7,016 mortgage loans in July, which was 2,014 fewer than in June, when mortgages were flying off the shelves. Fincentrum Hypoindex claims that it was the lowest monthly result since January 2016, when just 5,912 loans were signed. The Czech National Bank has been raising interest rates for the past year, but Fincentrum writes that despite this, mortgage rates have fallen slightly in recent months to 2.49 percent. Josef Rajdl, chief analyst for Fincentrum, says the banks are keeping the rates down in an effort to attract customers before tougher mortgage loan conditions kick in next month.
