Inflation-induced liquidity constraints in real estate financing

Despite the "interest rate turnaround" initiated by the ECB in the second half of 2022 as a late reaction to the clearly underestimated persistence of high inflation rates in the euro area, real interest rates are by no means to be regarded as restrictive, neither in the ex post nor in the ex ante view. However, banks have been quite quick to adopt stricter lending guidelines, and demand in housing construction and mortgage lending has plummeted. Against this background, the paper discusses the importance of cash flow effects in annuity loans and in particular analyses the so-called front-loading effect. Accordingly, even if inflation rates are fully anticipated and real market and lending interest rates remain unchanged, higher nominal rates lead to strong additional financial burdens in the first phases of the typically mortgages with long maturities. Such liquidity effects can severely reduce the ability or willingness to pay of private investors in the household sector. This is particularly true for long-run loans in the form of a percentage annuity, as an additional maturity shortening effect occurs here. These types of fixed term loans are quite popular in Germany. Looking ahead, there is also a real risk to the stock of housing loans if there is a refinancing of the large stock of cheap housing loans, a risk that also has implications for macroeconomic and financial stability.