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- The subscriber is unapproachable: banks have begun to cut the requested mortgage amounts
The subscriber is unapproachable: banks have begun to cut the requested mortgage amounts
Banks have become tougher to cut mortgage application amounts, according to the Central Bank's data, which was studied by Izvestia. Basically, they approve a third less: at the end of 2025, the average amount for the requested loan was 6.1 million, and the agreed amount was only 4.1 million rubles. During the quarter, this gap increased by one and a half times. This means that already in the process of approving a loan, Russians have to look for new, cheaper housing or other sources of money. The reason is the tightening of banks' lending policies. What borrowers should do in this case is in the Izvestia article.
How much have the amounts of approved mortgage applications decreased
It is becoming increasingly difficult for home buyers to close deals with mortgages. By the end of 2025, the difference between the amount that Russians requested from banks and the amount that they eventually approved had increased significantly, according to the Central Bank. In the fourth quarter of last year, the gap reached a third: on average, borrowers asked for 6.1 million rubles, while banks were ready to lend only 4.1 million.
A quarter earlier, the situation was milder — then the gap was about 21%, according to the Central Bank. This suggests that banks are gradually reducing the size of approved loans and are more cautious in approaching new borrowers.
At the same time, the share of mortgage approvals decreased. In the fourth quarter of 2025, banks approved only 30-37% of applications, according to data from the National Bureau of Credit Histories (NBKI). A year earlier, the indicator was noticeably higher — at the level of 43-51%.
Reducing the mortgage amount by almost a third is becoming a serious problem for borrowers, said Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global. According to her, the buyer has to look for the missing 32% on their own, because developers do not provide such large discounts.
At the same time, customers still have time to find a suitable housing option, said Vitaly Kostyukevich, Director of Absolut Bank's Retail products department. An approved mortgage application is usually valid for up to two months, so the borrower can adjust their plans and choose a cheaper property.
The bank's preliminary decision is indicative, the press service of Novikom Bank emphasized. The total loan amount may change after checking the documents, assessing income and analyzing a specific property.
In practice, much depends on how much the financial institution has reduced the amount, said Tatiana Reshetnikova, Deputy head of the mortgage department at Etagi. If the client has approved more than 80% of the requested amount, the cancellation of the transaction is relatively rare. However, when agreeing on 60-80% of failures, there are already about 10%. If the bank is ready to give out less than 60% of the required amount, transactions fail in about 15% of cases.
Pre-mortgage applications are often submitted by buyers of second homes, said the Vice President of Retail Risks at Dom Bank.Russian Federation" Roman Evdokimov. The situation in the primary market is different: many people there choose an apartment first, and only then go for a mortgage.
However, even in the segment of new buildings, many clients can "aim" for a specific amount — 80% of clients adhere to this tactic at the Floors company, Tatyana Reshetnikova confirmed. According to her, this is logical: a person first understands what budget he can count on, and then he is looking for an apartment under a specific limit.
Nevertheless, the press service of Sberbank reported that the proportion of cases when the total loan amount is lower than the initially requested amount remains extremely low. In Absolut Bank, such situations account for about 17% of transactions. At the same time, Novikom confirmed that the reduction in approved amounts is still widespread in the market.
Why banks have become tougher in assessing borrowers
Banks have begun to take a noticeably stricter approach to customer assessment, said Tatiana Reshetnikova from the Floors company. According to her, now credit organizations often check whether the borrower will be able to pay the mortgage even in case of loss of the preferential rate.
In fact, banks assess the client's solvency as if the mortgage had already been issued on market terms, the expert explained. Because of this, the maximum loan amount is reduced, even under preferential programs.
The pressure is also created by rising housing prices, Natalia Milchakova emphasized. According to her, in 2025, real estate prices in Russia rose by about 9% on average, which turned out to be one and a half times higher than official inflation. Because of this, Russians need increasingly large loans, while banks, on the contrary, try to limit risks and issue smaller amounts.
The initial payment remains one of the key factors for the bank, said Dmitry Gritskevich, Head of Banking and Financial Market Analysis at PSB. If it is less than 20-30% of the cost of housing, the risk is considered increased and it becomes more difficult to get approval.
The debt burden indicator also plays an important role. If more than 80% of a person's monthly income is spent on loan payments, such a loan is automatically considered high-risk. Banks are also subject to restrictions on loans to customers with a debt burden of 50-80%.
At the same time, credit institutions are generally tightening their internal risk policies, said Natalia Bogomolova, director of NRA Ratings of Financial Institutions. They fear a further decline in the solvency of the population and an increase in overdue debts, which began to increase at the end of 2025.
In 2026, the conditions for obtaining a mortgage have become even tougher, Natalia Milchakova emphasized. The rules of the family mortgage have changed: now both spouses must act as co-borrowers, so it will no longer be possible to arrange several preferential loans within the same family.
In addition, starting from April 1, 2026, a confirmed "white" income is actually required to obtain a loan, Natalia Milchakova noted. The problem is that the official salary of many Russians is lower than their real earnings. It is especially difficult now to get a mortgage for individual entrepreneurs, the self-employed and freelancers.
What should borrowers do if they are denied the required amount?
If the client was counting on a certain amount, and the bank approved a lower limit, you can attract a co-borrower with a proven income, advised the Vice president of retail risks at Dom Bank.Russian Federation" Roman Evdokimov. In this case, the debt burden will be considered in aggregate, which will increase the chances of approval.
Borrowers often also apply to several banks at once, the PSB noted. If the loan is approved for a smaller amount, the client should either confirm additional sources of income or increase the initial payment.
In some cases, it makes sense to temporarily postpone the purchase of housing and accumulate more of your own funds, according to a financial institution. This will reduce the size of the loan and increase the chances of approval.
There is another way to reduce the debt burden, Novikom emphasized: for example, it is advisable to close some of the existing loans or credit cards. Even if the limit on them is not used, the bank still takes it into account when calculating the ratio of the borrower's income to debts.
Another option is to extend the term of the mortgage, Novik Bank added. In this case, the monthly payment will become lower, and the probability of receiving the required amount may increase.
In general, the current situation is gradually changing the behavior of buyers in the housing market. Now, before buying, it is important to understand in advance how much the bank is willing to approve the mortgage for, otherwise there is a possibility that plans to purchase a specific property will have to be abandoned and new options will be sought promptly.
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