Consumer Banking Hungary

The Client
A leading international bank participating in the launch of mortgage lending in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Challenge
Government controls in a number of countries in Central Europe have restricted mortgage lending. However, these controls are gradually being eased, and international banks need a better understanding of the retail banking environment and consumer preferences before making the decision to enter the market or increase their investment. Therefore, the client wanted to understand the current structure and size of the market for home loans and in particular the potential growth in the market if the government were to ease lending rules.

The Solution
CATI plus F2F: First, MASMI used CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) to interview 1000 consumers based on a representative sample of the adult population of the country in question. The survey was designed to measure segments of the adult population who have obtained or are likely to seek a mortgage in the near future. Groups pinpointed were:

• Consumers who recently obtained loans;
• Consumers who were committed to obtaining a housing loan in the near future; and
• Consumers who had been refused a housing loan previously but would be eligible for a loan if the stiff government restrictions were relaxed.

Second, MASMI did a nationwide face-to-face survey using a sample representative of the three groups described after the CATI segmentation.

The Business Result
Following consultations with MASMI, the client was able to simulate future behavior and expectations of future loan applicants, based on survey information describing their past decision-making methods.