China Weighs Unprecedented Builder Support With First-Ever Unsecured Loans
- Banks may offer working capital loans, people familiar say
- Officials are making most forceful push yet to end debt crisis
China may allow banks to offer unsecured short-term loans to qualified developers for the first time, people familiar with the matter said, a major push to ease the property crisis that’s dragging down growth in the world’s second-largest economy.
As part of a package of new measures to backstop the real estate industry, regulators are considering allowing banks to issue so-called working capital loans to some developers, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter. Unlike other types of loans available to builders that typically require land or assets as collateral, the new financing facility would be unsecured and available for day-to-day operational purposes, potentially freeing up capital for debt repayment, the people said.