Meridian: The number of mortgage registrations for existing buildings in Hong Kong fell by about 15% in September

The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to the latest data from the Meridian Mortgage Referral Research Division and the Land Registry, the number of existing mortgage registrations in Hong Kong in September 2026 was 7,526, a decrease of 1,272 (14.5%) from 8,798 in August; the number of housing mortgage registrations in that month was 603, a decrease of 159 (20.9%) from 762 in August.

Comparing the first 9 months, a total of 64,958 mortgage registrations for existing buildings were recorded in the first 9 months of this year, an increase of 17,392 cases (36.6%) compared to 47,566 in the same period last year, a record high of the first 9 months of nearly 4 years; a total of 4,680 housing mortgage registrations were recorded in the first 9 months of this year, a decrease of 762 cases (14%) compared with 5,442 in the same period last year.

Cao Deming, chief vice president of Meridian Mortgage Referral, said that the slowdown in real estate market transactions from July to August, combined with a lack of large new properties and home buyers, led to a month-on-month decline in mortgage registrations for current buildings and real estate properties. Recently, developers have begun to make the latest sales arrangements. The market response and sales conditions for individual new properties are good. It is expected that the atmosphere in the property market will gradually pick up, and the property market is also expected to maintain a steady trend.

In terms of current mortgage bank market share in September, Bank of China (Hong Kong) won 24 consecutive championships, topping the list with a market share of 28%; HSBC ranked second with a market share of 26.5%; Hang Seng Bank ranked third with a market share of 13.5%; Standard Chartered Bank ranked fourth with a market share of 9.7%; and Bank of Communications ranked fifth with a market share of 2.6%.

In terms of market share of real estate mortgage banks in September, HSBC won six consecutive championships, ranking first with a market share of 31.3%; Bank of China (Hong Kong) ranked second with a market share of 21.6%; Standard Chartered Bank ranked third with a market share of 14.9%; Hang Seng Bank ranked fourth with a market share of 13.4%; and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) ranked fifth with a market share of 5.3%.

The current mortgage market share of the four major banks fell 2.1% to 77.6% in September 2026 from 79.7% last month. Cao Deming said that from the beginning of the year until now, the four major banks have been actively seeking mortgage business, introducing diversified mortgage plans, and increasing related benefits such as mortgage cash rebates to attract high-quality customers and maintain their mortgage market share at a high level.

Currently, two major banks have extended the application period for their fixed-rate mortgage plan until the end of this year; the other large bank has launched a “P first, then H” mortgage plan. The interest rate for the first two or three years of the plan is as low as 2.68%. The results at this stage are most remarkable, and it is believed that it will attract many customers to choose; in addition, some small and medium-sized banks that have not actively expanded their mortgage business have also begun to increase their mortgage cash rebates. It is expected that the interbank mortgage war will continue until the end of the year.