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Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
PNB Housing Finance plans micro-housing push for better yields
PNB Housing Finance plans to enter micro housing finance this quarter to improve lending returns. It also wants affordable housing and emerging markets to account for more of its portfolio.
The lender reported a loan portfolio of ₹89,670 crore as of June 2024, with prime loans contributing roughly 59%. This segment covers loans above ₹35 lakh, while affordable housing loans range from ₹5 lakh to ₹35 lakh. Managing Director Ajai Kumar Shukla wants prime lending and the combined affordable and emerging-market segments to move towards a 55:45 split.
The company expects its loan portfolio to exceed ₹1 lakh crore during the current financial year and is targeting ₹1.2 lakh crore by 2028. Management sees scope for annual lending growth of 18–20%. The planned micro-housing entry is part of its effort to expand while improving margins.
Portfolio purchases are another growth route. Through Direct Assignment, or DA, the lender recently acquired loans totalling ₹146 crore from four companies, largely in affordable housing. Such transactions let it add existing borrower accounts rather than originate every loan itself.
Shukla described these purchases as a lower-cost alternative to expansion that requires spending on branches, employees and marketing. The company intends acquired loans to represent about 2% of its business. Its 400-branch network will continue sourcing customers, with portfolio purchases supplementing that activity. Micro-housing loan sizes, pricing and eligibility conditions have not been stated.
