Behavioural Changes And Trends In Commercial Banks' Lending Policies For Companies In Romania - Perspectives For The New Decade

This article examines the evolution of commercial banks' corporate lending policies in Romania over the period 2007-2023, with a focus on behavioural changes in risk assessment, credit structure and emerging strategic orientations. The study adopts a longitudinal and comparative empirical framework based on official aggregate data reported by the National Bank of Romania and European supervisory sources. The analysis compares four distinct regimes-pre-crisis expansion, post-crisis adjustment, balance-sheet clean-up and the post-2020 period-capturing how successive shocks and regulatory reforms reshaped banks' lending behaviour. The results indicate a clear transition from an expansion-driven lending model prior to 2008 towards a more risk-sensitive and supervised framework after 2014, reflected in the decline of corporate non-performing loan ratios and the gradual normalisation of corporate credit growth. Structural changes are also observed in loan maturity and SME-oriented lending, suggesting a cautious return to investment financing and improved access to credit supported by public guaranteed schemes. In the post-2020 period, digitalisation and sustainability-related priorities emerge as additional drivers of change, enhancing operational efficiency and gradually influencing credit allocation. The article contributes to the literature on banking behaviour in emerging European economies by offering an integrated empirical perspective on how regulation, balance-sheet repair and technological and policy developments jointly shape corporate lending dynamics. The findings provide policy-relevant insights regarding the conditions under which corporate credit can expand while preserving financial stability.