Bank loans contracted by the Romanian population are larger than the time deposits opened over all the counties, with the exception of Bucharest.

In the West, individual investors are positioned as net creditors to the banking system, with deposits exceeding contracted loans. In Romania, however, amid the lending boom, this is only valid if adding the amounts kept in current accounts, which are volatile to the volume of time deposits.

However, if just time deposits are taken into consideration, it is only Bucharest residents that manage to save more than they borrow, according to NBR data on the financial behaviour of the population per territories for March.

In Bucharest, time deposits (foreign currency and RON) exceed contracted loans by the equivalent of 3.3bn RON (a little above 1bn euros). In fact, Bucharest accounts for more than 40% of deposits made nationwide and "only" 25% of loans contracted by the population.

Constanta is at the other end of the scale with contracted loans exceeding population deposits by 847m RON (256m euros).

The top counties where there are net large debts to banks are Iasi, Arges and Dolj.

Amid an large appetite for lending, as many as ten counties (including Bucharest) register banking financing volumes exceeding one billion RON.

Instead, only in the capital city and in another five counties the population deposits exceed the 1bn RON threshold.

Bucharest residents account for a third of RON deposits contracted nationwide- 7.3bn RON, and more than half of foreign currency deposits, an equivalent of 6.88bn RON, coming to an overall figure of 14.2bn RON (the equivalent of 4.3bn euros).

Although far behind, Cluj comes next, with the volume of population deposits standing at 1.5bn RON (454m euros).

Constanta ranks third, with 1.1bn RON. Giurgiu is positioned at the opposite en