UK credit conditions survey
What UK lenders themselves say about credit, quarterly since 2007: how available they have made secured and unsecured household credit and corporate credit, how demand has moved, what has happened to spreads, and how default rates are running — each asked twice, for the three months just gone and the three months ahead.
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | Q4-2023 | Q3-2023 | Q2-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit availability, past three months7 | ||||||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | 2.6 | 15.5 | 30.3 | 36.9 | 23.2 | 9.2 | 22.4 | 10 | 2 | 18.4 | 10.4 | -20.2 | -31.4 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | 24.3 | -2.8 | 10.6 | 7.6 | 11.3 | 15.8 | 10.3 | 9.3 | 1.4 | 4.8 | -4.2 | -11.4 | 1.6 | |
| Corporate sector, overall | 0 | 3 | 3.5 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 7.5 | -0.8 | -4.8 | |
| Commercial real estate | 9.3 | 17.9 | 24.4 | 23.2 | 27.7 | 20.6 | 19.6 | 6.3 | 13.6 | 4.9 | -9.5 | -14.9 | -10.2 | |
| Small businesses | -9.1 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 24.2 | 15.2 | 27.5 | 3.6 | 13.8 | 26.2 | 12.7 | 9.6 | 5.3 | |
| Medium-sized businesses (PNFCs) | -6.5 | 12.1 | 8.8 | 16.1 | 10.2 | 10 | 10 | 8.7 | 10.3 | 4.1 | 2.8 | -0.8 | -4.6 | |
| Large businesses (PNFCs) | 3.5 | 13.7 | 8.5 | 10.5 | 7.9 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 7.1 | -0.3 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 0.9 | -1.6 | |
| Credit availability, expected next three months7 | ||||||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | 10.4 | 22 | 9.1 | 26.5 | 21.2 | 19.8 | 16.4 | 0 | 8.5 | 19 | 2.4 | -5.8 | -18.8 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | -10.1 | 17.8 | 7.2 | 8.4 | 18.9 | 24.1 | 8.5 | 11.4 | -2.9 | 4.7 | 6.6 | -0.4 | -6.9 | |
| Corporate sector, overall | -2 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 7.1 | 9.1 | 2.4 | 10.7 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 8.5 | 6 | 2.2 | -0.8 | |
| Commercial real estate | -1 | 10.1 | 16.6 | 13.6 | 34.2 | 13.8 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 13.6 | 6.6 | -11 | -10.7 | -8.5 | |
| Small businesses | 2 | 14 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 13.8 | 26 | 15.3 | 15.4 | 3.7 | 14 | 9 | 3.3 | 10.6 | |
| Medium-sized businesses (PNFCs) | 3.1 | 13.5 | 11.6 | 17.3 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 11 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 11.1 | 5 | 3.7 | 0 | |
| Large businesses (PNFCs) | 2.9 | 11.9 | 11.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 | 8 | 5.8 | 3.4 | 0 | 13.9 | 5.4 | 1.7 | -0.9 | |
| Demand for credit, past three months5 | ||||||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | 14.9 | 0.3 | -13.9 | 0.7 | 30.9 | 12.4 | 33.3 | -0.6 | 32.6 | 35.9 | -31.6 | -54.9 | 52.7 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | -2.3 | 0.5 | 10.4 | -1 | 17.1 | 12.1 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 19.3 | 32.8 | -23.7 | 8.4 | 26 | |
| Small businesses | -11.1 | 7.2 | 1.8 | 5.6 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 11.5 | 1.1 | -3.5 | -2.6 | -23.9 | -0.1 | 5.5 | |
| Medium-sized businesses (PNFCs) | -15.8 | -1.7 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 6.6 | 11.5 | 7.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 6.3 | -4.1 | -8 | 2.9 | |
| Large businesses (PNFCs) | -3 | 8.9 | -1.3 | 8.6 | 0 | 14.9 | 6.7 | -0.3 | 2.3 | 5.8 | -8.4 | -14 | -9.4 | |
| Demand for credit, expected next three months5 | ||||||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | -23.2 | 30 | -11 | 4.5 | -18.5 | -2 | -10.6 | 34.1 | 1 | 23.2 | 21.9 | -28.4 | -30.1 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | 2 | -0.6 | -0.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 15 | 7.7 | -9.7 | -3.2 | 21.6 | 30.8 | 16.1 | 9.6 | |
| Small businesses | -3.5 | 5.5 | -1.3 | 9.4 | 5.6 | -3.1 | 0 | -5.8 | -7.6 | -1.6 | -1.6 | -9.3 | -3.8 | |
| Medium-sized businesses (PNFCs) | -3.1 | -8.7 | -2.6 | 6 | 0.6 | -2.3 | 0.8 | 7.9 | 0 | 1.4 | 3.4 | -7.1 | -4.1 | |
| Large businesses (PNFCs) | 2.6 | 2.7 | -0.1 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 8.5 | 3.2 | 10.5 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 9.5 | -4.7 | -4 | |
| Lending spreads, past three months5 | ||||||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | -24.1 | 26.7 | 17.8 | 33.3 | 5.8 | 54.9 | 4.4 | -8.1 | -22.7 | 4.8 | -27.6 | 43.4 | 63.9 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | 34.7 | -26.6 | -21.3 | -26.4 | -24.7 | -10.4 | -17.5 | -24.2 | -3.4 | 3.2 | -8.4 | 7.3 | 1.8 | |
| Small businesses | -1.7 | -3.6 | -3.5 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | -1.7 | 0 | -8.9 | -8.6 | 0 | 12 | 10.6 | |
| Medium-sized businesses (PNFCs) | 0 | 8.1 | 3 | 13.3 | 12.1 | 0 | -1.8 | 0 | 1.4 | 13 | 1 | 2.6 | 0 | |
| Large businesses (PNFCs) | 19.3 | 15.3 | 26.5 | 27.9 | 2.6 | 28.1 | -5.8 | 10.9 | 8.9 | -2.9 | 8.6 | -3.8 | -10.7 | |
| Lending spreads, expected next three months5 | ||||||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | 32.5 | 1 | 20.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 9.3 | 14 | -6 | 1.4 | 18.5 | -26.6 | -20.4 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | 13.8 | -20.4 | -29.8 | -25.3 | -26.7 | -13 | -23.1 | -26.7 | -0.7 | -2.5 | -2.1 | -1.8 | 6 | |
| Small businesses | -4.9 | 3.7 | -3.5 | 1.2 | 3.2 | -1.8 | -1.7 | -1.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.5 | 10.6 | |
| Medium-sized businesses (PNFCs) | -2.1 | 0 | 3 | 3.5 | 1.7 | -1.8 | -1.8 | -1.7 | 0 | 0.9 | 1 | -0.5 | 9.5 | |
| Large businesses (PNFCs) | 16.7 | 7.6 | 12.3 | 20.2 | 10 | 11.8 | 18.7 | 8.6 | 9.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.5 | -11.4 | |
| Default rates, past three months5 | ||||||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | -4.2 | 6.2 | -13 | -8.1 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 7.8 | 12.5 | 24 | 26.1 | 23.6 | 43.3 | 30.9 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | 33.6 | 18.4 | 11.8 | 3.7 | 1.2 | -10.3 | -17.2 | -9.2 | 5.7 | 17.6 | 23.5 | -3.5 | 0.2 | |
| Small businesses | 1.9 | 1.9 | 9.6 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 | -1.4 | -1.3 | 5.2 | 5 | 4.7 | -15.6 | -3.9 | |
| Medium-sized businesses (PNFCs) | 1.6 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 | -0.7 | 0 | 5.6 | 9.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 3.9 | |
| Large businesses (PNFCs) | -1.4 | -1.4 | -1.4 | -1.4 | -1.5 | -0.3 | 0.8 | -0.5 | -0.6 | 1 | 3.4 | 1.6 | -0.9 | |
| Default rates, expected next three months5 | ||||||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | 4.9 | -6.6 | -13.3 | -10.3 | -4.2 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 31.1 | 34.3 | 34.2 | 39.7 | 47.4 | 41.2 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | 16.1 | 9.3 | 12.6 | 10 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 19.7 | 2.2 | 5.1 | 23.7 | 31.7 | 27.9 | 6.8 | |
| Small businesses | 3.8 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 7.9 | 9.1 | 10.6 | 19.3 | |
| Medium-sized businesses (PNFCs) | 3.3 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 15.6 | 7.8 | 5.1 | 3.2 | |
| Large businesses (PNFCs) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 0 | 2.6 |
Latest reading
Households, secured lending stood at 2.6 Net percentage balance in Q2 2026. That is −12.9 Net percentage balance from Q1 2026 and −20.6 Net percentage balance from a year earlier. The series on this page is quarterly and runs from Q2 2007 to Q2 2026. Source: Bank of England — Credit Conditions Survey.
- Latest
- 2.6 Net percentage balance
- Q2 2026
- vs previous period
- −12.9 Net percentage balance
- Q1 2026
- vs a year earlier
- −20.6 Net percentage balance
About this data
What UK lenders themselves say about credit, quarterly since 2007: how available they have made secured and unsecured household credit and corporate credit, how demand has moved, what has happened to spreads, and how default rates are running — each asked twice, for the three months just gone and the three months ahead. Every other lending series in this section measures what happened; this one separates whether it happened because borrowers stopped asking or because lenders stopped offering, which are the same number and opposite problems.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the UK credit conditions survey measure?
- The UK credit conditions survey measures commercial lenders' assessments of credit availability, borrower demand, lending spreads, and household and corporate default rates.
- How is a net percentage balance interpreted in the Bank of England survey?
- Net percentage balances reflect the difference between the percentage of lenders reporting an increase in credit availability or demand and those reporting a decrease.
- Which borrower categories are covered in the UK credit conditions survey?
- The survey covers UK households across secured and unsecured lending, commercial real estate, and the corporate sector split into small, medium-sized and large businesses.
- How often is the UK credit conditions survey published and what is its coverage?
- The Bank of England conducts and publishes the credit conditions survey on a quarterly basis, with historical series available since 2007.
