IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ecb/ecbops/2011125.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Household sector borrowing in the euro area - a micro data perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Gómez-Salvador, Ramón
  • Westermann, Thomas
  • Lojschová, Adriana

Abstract

This paper uses micro data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) to generate structural information for the euro area on the incidence of household indebtedness and the debt service burden. It breaks down incidence by characteristics such as income, age and employment status, all features that can be cross-referenced in the light of theories such as the life-cycle hypothesis. Overall, income appears to be the dominant feature determining the debt status of a household. The paper also examines the evolution of indebtedness and debt service burdens over time and compares the situation in the euro area with that in the United States. In general, the results suggest that the macroeconomic implications of indebtedness for monetary transmission and financial stability are not associated with the mean but with the tails of the distribution. JEL Classification: C32, G14

Suggested Citation

  • Gómez-Salvador, Ramón & Westermann, Thomas & Lojschová, Adriana, 2011. "Household sector borrowing in the euro area - a micro data perspective," Occasional Paper Series 125, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbops:2011125
    Note: 375755
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.ecb.europa.eu//pub/pdf/scpops/ecbocp125.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Oecd, 2006. "Improving Financial Literacy: Analysis of Issues and Policies," Financial Market Trends, OECD Publishing, vol. 2005(2), pages 111-123.
    2. Olympia Bover, 2008. "The dynamics of household income and wealth: results from the panel of the Spanish Survey of Household Finances (EFF) 2002-2005," Occasional Papers 0810, Banco de España.
    3. Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas & Jonathan A. Parker, 2002. "Consumption Over the Life Cycle," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 70(1), pages 47-89, January.
    4. Olympia Bover, 2008. "The Spanish Survey of Household Finances (EFF): description and methods of the 2005 wave," Occasional Papers 0803, Banco de España.
    5. Dániel Holló, 2007. "Household indebtedness and financial stability: Reasons to be afraid?," MNB Bulletin (discontinued), Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary), vol. 2(2), pages 23-30, November.
    6. Olympia Bover & Carmen Martínez-Carrascal & Pilar Velilla, 2005. "The wealth of Spanish households: a microeconomic comparison with the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom," Economic Bulletin, Banco de España, issue JUL, pages 87-109, July.
    7. Ramon Gomez-Salvador & Adriana Lojschova & Thomas Westermann, 2011. "Household Sector Borrowing in the Euro Area: A Micro Data Persective," BCL working papers 58, Central Bank of Luxembourg.
    8. Georgarakos, Dimitris & Lojschova, Adriana & Ward-Warmedinger, Melanie E., 2009. "Mortgage Indebtedness and Household Financial Distress," IZA Discussion Papers 4631, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Giuseppe Bertola & Richard Disney & Charles Grant (ed.), 2006. "The Economics of Consumer Credit," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262026015, April.
    10. Ramon Gomez-Salvador & Adriana Lojschova & Thomas Westermann, 2011. "Household Sector Borrowing in the Euro Area: A Micro Data Persective," BCL working papers 58, Central Bank of Luxembourg.
    11. George T. Simigiannis & Panagiota G. Tzamourani, 2007. "Borrowing and socio-economic characteristics of households: results of sample surveys carried out by the Bank of Greece," Economic Bulletin, Bank of Greece, issue 28, pages 31-50, February.
    12. Burcu Duygan-Bump & Charles Grant, 2009. "Household debt repayment behaviour: what role do institutions play? [‘Welfare implications of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1999’]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 24(57), pages 108-140.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mocetti, Sauro & Viviano, Eliana, 2017. "Looking behind mortgage delinquencies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 53-63.
    2. Łukasz Gębski, 2013. "Nadmierne zadłużenie gospodarstw domowych – problem finansowo-prawny czy społeczny?," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 4, pages 83-108.
    3. Ozlem Albayrak, 2020. "Household Consumption, Household Indebtedness, and Inequality in Turkey: A Microeconometric Analysis," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_954, Levy Economics Institute.
    4. Georgarakos, Dimitris & Popov, Alexander, 2023. "I (Don't) Owe You: Sovereign Default and Borrowing Behavior," CEPR Discussion Papers 18300, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Ramon Gomez-Salvador & Adriana Lojschova & Thomas Westermann, 2011. "Household Sector Borrowing in the Euro Area: A Micro Data Persective," BCL working papers 58, Central Bank of Luxembourg.
    6. McCarthy, Yvonne & McQuinn, Kieran, 2017. "Credit conditions in a boom and bust property market: Insights for macro-prudential policy," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 171-182.
    7. Ozlem Albayrak & Thomas Masterson, 2017. "Quality of Statistical Match of Household Budget Survey and SILC for Turkey," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_885, Levy Economics Institute.
    8. Piotr Bialowolski & Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska, 2014. "The Index of Household Financial Condition, Combining Subjective and Objective Indicators: An Appraisal of Italian Households," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 365-385, August.
    9. Merike Kukk, 2014. "Distinguishing the Components of Household Financial Wealth: the Impact of Liabilities on Assets in Euro Area Countries," Proceedings of International Academic Conferences 0100418, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    10. Ph. Du Caju & M. Emiris & Ch. Piette & M.-D. Zachary, 2018. "Shedding new light on the mortgage debt of households in Belgium," Economic Review, National Bank of Belgium, issue i, pages 97-114, June.
    11. Lenarčič, Črt, 2022. "Drivers of household arrears: an euro area country panel data analysis," MPRA Paper 114558, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. David ARISTEI & Manuela Gallo, 2012. "The Drivers of Household Over-Indebtedness and Delinquency on Mortgage Loans: Evidence from Italian Microdata," Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia, Finanza e Statistica 105/2012, Università di Perugia, Dipartimento Economia.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. David ARISTEI & Manuela Gallo, 2012. "The Drivers of Household Over-Indebtedness and Delinquency on Mortgage Loans: Evidence from Italian Microdata," Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia, Finanza e Statistica 105/2012, Università di Perugia, Dipartimento Economia.
    2. Piotr Bialowolski & Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska, 2014. "The Index of Household Financial Condition, Combining Subjective and Objective Indicators: An Appraisal of Italian Households," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 365-385, August.
    3. Lenarčič, Črt, 2022. "Drivers of household arrears: an euro area country panel data analysis," MPRA Paper 114558, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Merike Kukk, 2014. "Distinguishing the components of household financial wealth: the impact of liabilities on assets in Euro Area countries," Bank of Estonia Working Papers wp2014-2, Bank of Estonia, revised 10 Oct 2014.
    5. Francisco Azpitarte, 2008. "Measurement and Identification of Asset-Poor Households: A Cross-National Comparison of Spain and the United Kingdom," Working Papers 105, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    6. Mocetti, Sauro & Viviano, Eliana, 2017. "Looking behind mortgage delinquencies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 53-63.
    7. Olympia Bover & Jose Maria Casado & Sonia Costa & Philip Du Caju & Yvonne McCarthy & Eva Sierminska & Panagiota Tzamourani & Ernesto Villanueva & Tibor Zavadil, 2016. "The Distribution of Debt across Euro-Area Countries: The Role of Individual Characteristics, Institutions, and Credit Conditions," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 12(2), pages 71-128, June.
    8. Sónia Costa, 2012. "Households’ Default Probability: An Analysis Based on the Results of the HFCS," Economic Bulletin and Financial Stability Report Articles and Banco de Portugal Economic Studies, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    9. Marianna Brunetti & Elena Giarda & Costanza Torricelli, 2016. "Is Financial Fragility a Matter of Illiquidity? An Appraisal for Italian Households," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 62(4), pages 628-649, December.
    10. McCarthy, Yvonne & McQuinn, Kieran, 2017. "Credit conditions in a boom and bust property market: Insights for macro-prudential policy," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 171-182.
    11. Georgarakos, Dimitris & Fürth, Sven, 2015. "Household repayment behavior: The role of social capital and institutional, political, and religious beliefs," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 249-265.
    12. John Y. Campbell, 2006. "Household Finance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(4), pages 1553-1604, August.
    13. Keese, Matthias, 2010. "Who Feels Constrained by High Debt Burdens? – Subjective vs. Objective Measures of Household Indebtedness," Ruhr Economic Papers 169, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    14. Ph. Du Caju & M. Emiris & Ch. Piette & M.-D. Zachary, 2018. "Shedding new light on the mortgage debt of households in Belgium," Economic Review, National Bank of Belgium, issue i, pages 97-114, June.
    15. McCarthy, Yvonne, 2014. "Dis-entangling the mortgage arrears crisis: The rolw of the labour market, income volatility and housing equity," Research Technical Papers 02/RT/14, Central Bank of Ireland.
    16. repec:zbw:rwirep:0169 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Łukasz Gębski, 2013. "Nadmierne zadłużenie gospodarstw domowych – problem finansowo-prawny czy społeczny?," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 4, pages 83-108.
    18. Marianna Brunetti & Elena Giarda & Costanza Torricelli, 2016. "Is Financial Fragility a Matter of Illiquidity? An Appraisal for Italian Households," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 62(4), pages 628-649, December.
    19. Ozlem Albayrak & Thomas Masterson, 2017. "Quality of Statistical Match of Household Budget Survey and SILC for Turkey," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_885, Levy Economics Institute.
    20. Georgarakos, Dimitris & Popov, Alexander, 2023. "I (Don't) Owe You: Sovereign Default and Borrowing Behavior," CEPR Discussion Papers 18300, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    21. Ada Ferrer-i-carbonell & X. Ramos & M. Oviedo, 2013. "GINI Country Report: Growing Inequalities and their Impacts in Spain," GINI Country Reports spain, AIAS, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    financial vulnerability; household indebtedness; micro survey data; monetary transmission;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C42 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Survey Methods
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbops:2011125. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Official Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/emieude.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.