According to Alpha Research agency the number of households with incomes enabling savings has risen from two to 10 per cent for the last four years.

During the last six months the number of people able to cover their living expenses reached 40 per cent and 55 per cent of the households requested a loan of some form, BGNES news agency reported.

The survey was taken among 900 households around the country. Although 62 per cent prefer to draw loans from banks, financial companies like Jet Credit also grow in popularity as loan providers. Loans from friends also rank high in the list of financing opportunities.

Drawing credit is still necessary for apartment renovation, computer, car or real estate purchase. For these purposes people draw small loans totaling up to 10 000 leva.

The leasing purchase agreements comprise 14 per cent of the deals and only two per cent of the surveyed households trust pawnshops for financing. People who have drawn credit only once for the last six years comprise 23 per cent, and those who have resorted to this measure more than twice are only 15 per cent.

The consumers' criteria when choosing an institution include time saving and lack of bureaucracy. One in 10 say they prefer agreement that do not require warranter or labour contract.