EghtesadOnline: The number of accounts opened with Bank Maskan, the agent bank of the housing sector for home loans, under the so-called "Housing Savings Account" scheme, registered an average weekly decline of 62% in the nearly first half of the current fiscal year (started March 21) compared with the same period of last year to reach 1,500 new accounts per week, an official with the bank said.

EghtesadOnline: Bank Maskan, the agent bank of Iran's housing sector, has paid a total of 89,000 billion rials ($760.68 million) in home loans under the Housing Savings Account scheme since its launch in June 2015.

EghtesadOnline: Housing facilities allocated during the first eight months of the current fiscal year (March 21-Nov. 21) increased by 30% compared with the same period of last year, the managing director of Bank Maskan, the state-run agent bank of the housing sector, said.

EghtesadOnline: Tehran received about one-third of all home purchase loans allocated to Iranian provinces during the first half of the current fiscal year (March 21-Sept. 22), latest data released by the agent bank of the Iranian housing sector show.

EghtesadOnline: Latest figures disclosed by Bank Maskan, the agent bank of Iran’s housing sector, indicate that the lender has upped the volume of its loans, as the housing market, especially the one in the capital Tehran, is taking a hit due to the prevailing currency volatility.

EghtesadOnline: Bank Maskan, the state-run agent bank of the housing sector, is considering the possibility of increasing the ceiling of home loans while reducing their interest rates to boost the people's purchasing power that has taken a serious hit due to recent hefty price hikes.

EghtesadOnline: Bank Maskan, the sole specialized bank in the housing sector, has recorded an annual increase of 52.8% in the volume of loans it has paid to finance related deals.

EghtesadOnline: Mortgage loans for homes located in dilapidated parts of cities accounted for 13.2% and 13% of the total number and value of home loans, respectively, following a popular mortgage initiative by May 21, which marks the end of the second Iranian month.

EghtesadOnline: The value of home loans has not increased in line with recent skyrocketing prices, drastically eroding the purchasing power of Iranians and contributing to a downturn in housing sales.

EghtesadOnline: Over the past decades and under different governments, housing indicators have moved deep into negative territory and the scale and scope of the problems have turned into a full-fledged crisis apparently with no solution in sight.

EghtesadOnline: Bank Maskan, the state-run agent bank of the housing sector, granted a total of 228,949 home loans worth 113.83 trillion rials ($775 million) in the last Iranian year that ended on March 20, 2019.