About the statistics

1. Administrative information

1.1. Name

Financial corporations, interest rates

1.2. Subject group

11.01 Financial institutions

1.3. Frequency and timeliness

Quarterly. Published two months after the statistics quarter.

1.4. Regional level

National level only

1.5. Responsible division

Division for financial market statistics (290)

1.6. Legal authority

The interest rate statistics are collected under the provisions of the Act on the supervision of credit institutions, insurance companies and securities trading, etc. of 7 December 1956 no. 1 (the Financial Supervision Act). Reports from state lending institutions are obtained under the provisions of the Act concerning official statistics and Statistics Norway of 16 June 1989 no. 54 (the Statistics Act).

1.7. Legal document (EU)

Not relevant

1.8. International reporting

The IMF and BIS

2. Background and purpose

2.1. Purpose and history

The interest rate statistics are used in the following areas, amongst others:

Annual data for interest on deposits is available from 1955, quarterly data for interest on deposits and loans is available from the 4th quarter of 1979. For the period from the 4th quarter of 1979 to the 1st quarter of 1986, the interest rates for loans (including non-performing loans) and interest on deposits in banks, are estimated by combining the data from the annual interest rate statistics that provided average interest rates at the end of each year, with data from the quarterly interest rate statistics, which gave the highest and lowest rates on new loans. From the 2nd quarter of 1986, the source was Norges Bank’s quarterly interest rate statistics, with exceptions for the 4th quarter of 1986 and the 4th quarter of 1987, when the data were taken from the annual interest rate statistics.

The statistics were transferred from Norges Bank to Statistics Norway on 1 January 2007.

3. Statistics production

3.1. Scope

The statistics cover weighted average interest rates including commissions and associated amounts on loans to the general public from banks, credit enterprises, state lending institutions and life insurance companies and weighted average interest rates and associated amounts on deposits in banks by the general public (sectors 510-890) in NOK.

3.2 Data sources

The financial market statistics (ORBOF report 11, items 25 and 26) except The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund that reports on excel spreadsheet.

3.3. Sampling

The interest rate statistics are based on a total count.

3.4. Collection of data

The majority of the data for the interest rate statistics is based on data that is transferred from the ORBOF systems each quarter. Data from spreadsheets is also collected from The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

3.5. Control and revision

Automatic controls are carried out in the ORBOF system that list major changes from the previous quarter, and checks are made as to whether these agree with the reports 10 and 11. The control also shows extreme values for interest rates. In addition, the routine checks whether both interest and amounts have been reported on associated items. These are controls that are run upon receipt of ORBOF data, and which are automatically returned to the reporting party if there is a discrepancy in the controls.

3.6. Calculations

Weighted average interest and commission rates are an average of interest and current commissions weighted with the associated loan/deposit amounts.

All average interest and commission rates are calculated at the end of the quarter and reported as annual rates as a percentage per annum from the 2nd quarter of 1986.

3.7 Confidentiality

The interest data is not published if less than three units form the basis for a cell in the table.

4. Concepts, variables and classifications

4.1. Definitions of the most important concepts and variables

Public (sectors 510-890) includes the institutional sector’s local government administration, private and public non-financial enterprises and households etc.
Interest on loans
: Includes the financial institutions’ weighted average interest rates and commissions on loans to the public, see also 3.6.

Interest on deposits: Includes the financial institutions’ total of weighted average interest rates on deposits by the public.

Interest margin: The interest margin in the banks is calculated as the difference between the average interest rates on loans to, and average interest rate on deposits from the public. The interest margin on deposits is the difference between 3 months effective NIBOR interest on the last working day of the quarter and the average interest rate level on deposits from the general public. The interest rate margin on lending is the difference between the average interest rate on loans to the public and the 3-month effective NIBOR rate.

Commission: Includes commission linked to credit loans granted, utilization commission and current administration fees. Non-recurring commissions, set-up fees and instalment fees are not included in the interest statistics.

4.2. Standard classifications

There are two types of classifications in the interest statistics; type and sector:

Loan and deposit types:

Average interest and commission rates classified by loan and deposit, as well as associated stock figures. The loan types cover the following:

Credit loans

Of this secured on dwellings

Of this other overdrafts, working capital facility and consumer credit

Of this building loans

Repayment loans

Of this secured on dwellings

Of this other loans

Deposit on transaction accounts

Other deposits

Sector:

Borrowers and lenders are roughly classified by institutional sector classification, based on the national accounts standard.

5. Sources of error and uncertainty

5.1. Measurement and processing errors

The sources of error for the interest statistics are mainly errors in the data that is reported to the financial market statistics. Processing errors can also occur.

6. Comparability and coherence

6.1. Comparability over time and space

Revisions and changes in the coding can lead to breaks in the time series.

7. Availability

7.1. Publications and other links

The statistics are published via Today’s statistics on Statistics Norway’s website (ssb.no).

7.2. Language

Published in Norwegian and English

7.3. Storage and use of base material

Collected and reviewed data are stored in accordance with Statistics Norway’s standard for archiving files (DataDok).