Finance Ministry hails National Bank's decision to reward consistent loan payers

On Wednesday, NBG announced it was the first Greek bank to implement a program that would provide benefits to responsible borrowers. This includes a 5% return on all interest rates debtors pay throughout the year, to be paid out every January for the previous calendar year. The bank provided additional bonuses as well for borrowers using their bank cards.

"We welcome the initiative of the National Bank of Greece to reward consistency in its housing loans," the Ministry said in a statement. "It's an initiative confirming that the private sector may recognize in practial ways the efforts of consistent loan payers," it said.

It noted that this was a point raised in February 2019 by then-opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis with the Hellenic Bank Association, when he called on banks "to reward those borrowers who managed to remain in good standing with banks after great effort during the years of the crisis," and called on other banks to follow NBG's example.