On Wednesday it was Handelsbanken and SEB’s turn to show the cards. As expected, they earn significantly more from lending interest than they did a year ago. – The banks are earning a record amount right now, says Claes Hemberg, independent economist. As the Riksbank raises the key interest rate, the banks raise the interest rate for borrowers – but the banks charge extra margins from the customers. – They don’t give much money to those who have savings accounts and they demand high interest rates from those who have mortgages. It is precisely this combination that makes the banks earn a record amount of money, says Claes Hemberg. It is now visible in their interim reports. Increased 60 percent Net interest – what the bank earns from the difference between deposit and lending rates – increased sharply in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year at the two banks that reported on Wednesday. Wallenbergsfären’s major bank SEB increased net interest by 60 percent. In pure numbers, net interest for the first quarter came to SEK 11.3 billion, compared to SEK 7 billion in the same quarter last year. Handelsbanken’s net interest income increased by 43 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. Haggle on loans – The banks will never give away money to ordinary people, but people themselves have to worry about moving their mortgages to get a better interest rate. We see that there is a large gap between the list price of mortgages and what customers actually pay. It can make a whole percentage point difference, says economist Claes Hemberg. Both Swedbank and Nordea will report the figures for the first quarter on Thursday.
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