OREANDA-NEWS. In its latest mortgage market index report for the Netherlands, Fitch Ratings notes that Dutch home price recovery continued in 2Q15. The home price index was up by 0.7% qoq and by 2.3% in the year to May 2015. Fitch expects the recovery to persist slowly in 2H15.

Late-stage arrears continued their downward trajectory in 2Q15. Borrowers in arrears by more than three months made up 81bp of the outstanding portfolio, compared with 83bp 12 months ago. The decrease was most dominant in the non-conforming sector, driven by the higher number of properties foreclosed.

Fitch's observations of properties sold by lenders and SPVs show that the preference of private sales over auctions persisted in 2014. The higher quick-sale adjustment for properties sold by auction has led more lenders to opt for private sales. This trend is also evident in the period losses reported by issuers.

Increased competition in the Dutch mortgage market has put downward pressure on mortgage rates, which is also apparent in the constant prepayment rates. The latter have decreased in 2Q15, but remain above levels observed in 2014. Fitch expects the pressure on mortgage rates to continue and prepayment levels to remain at current levels over 2H15.

Fitch's 'Mortgage Market Index - Netherlands' is part of the agency's quarterly series of index reports. It includes information on the performance of residential mortgages, predominantly from RMBS transactions, but also those held on bank balance sheets. The report sets the housing market against the macroeconomic background and provides commentary on the emerging trends. The report is available at www.fitchratings.com.