64% of distressed state loans eligible for 'Oikia' scheme

The applications for the Oikia scheme for distressed borrowers have reached 64% of the total eligible loans, according to the Housing Finance Corporation. In total, 1,223 applications, valued at €115m have been submitted, out of 1,948 eligible loans, valued at €179m.

Vasiliki Vassiliou, the Deputy General Manager of HFC presented the data before the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees.

Oikia scheme concerns loans granted under the state housing policy, with state funds. Some involved refugees' self-housing settlements, some were addressed to families with many children, and others were for rural areas, or for families with low and middle income.

Vassiliou said that the application evaluation process consists of two distinct phases: the eligibility of the loans according to the provisions of the scheme and, subsequently, for the eligible loans that choose a settlement, the viability of the borrowers is assessed.

Of the total applications of loans worth €128 million, she noted that loans worth €15 mln, or 15% of the total applications received, are pending eligibility evaluation. Of the total eligible claims worth €95mln, €4.7mln will proceed with a repayment arrangement, while €54m will proceed with a settlement. There are still settlement statements pending from customers, for requests worth €36mln.

In addition, she noted that of the settlement requests, the viability of requests worth €31 mln has been assessed, of which €13 mln have been assessed as non-viable. The viability assessment is still pending for requests worth €22mln.

On behalf of the Ministry of Finance, Dionysis Dionysiou noted that the plan is complementary to the Estia scheme, which is why there were the same income and property criteria. He noted that out of the three schemes announced (Estia, Oikia and Equal Distribution of Burdens Agency's loans) the greatest interest is shown in the Oikia scheme since the eligible applicants exceed 60%.