According to the Credit Registration Office (BKR), there are fewer and fewer people with payment problems. At the end of August, more than 538,000 people were faced with payment arrears of more than two months that had been reported to the BKR. A year ago it was 632,000. The number of people with credit also fell.

There is an increase among young people.

This includes consumer loans over 250 euros such as personal loans, telephone loans or mortgages. If a loan isn’t paid out two months after the deadline, it becomes a payment problem, BKR says.

The BKR speaks of a marked, sustained decline in times of inflation and high energy prices. “Reports on inflation and purchasing power are grim. However, we don’t see this in our numbers yet. It seems that people can still pay their loans and fixed costs on time,” says Peter van den Bosch, Chairman of the Board of BKR.

The decline is beginning to weaken. But even in the third quarter of this year there is no sign of an increase in payment problems.

problems in young people

The reduction does not apply to all age groups. Payment difficulties are increasing among young people aged 18 to 24 (up more than 16 percent). A year ago there were 31,000 young people, now there are 36,000.

The agency has no explanation for the rise in youth. They tend to have fewer large loans than people who are at a different stage of life, the BKR says.