The president of the Mortgage Bank (BHU), Casilda Echevarria, indicated that he does not agree with the proposal to forgive those who have debts in Adjustable Units. “We do not share the position of legislators to forgive debts that have been legitimately contracted“, he pointed out this Wednesday to Underlined (Channel 10)
According to Echevarría, these debts “have been extended over time” and the BHU “has tried to maintain a quota so that these people can pay.”By maintaining a fee that is sometimes less than a rent, many times it lengthens over time“, he assured.
In any case, he pointed out that “the Banco Hipotecario is solid enough to withstand the shock regardless of the project that is granted to the debtors.”
“There is talk of a merger between Banco Hipotecario and BROU, noo I have a problem as long as it is to reduce the cost of the State for taxpayers, but it is not a consequence of the fact that, as a result of this project, the bank does not meet the requirements to not function as a bank“, he assured.
The proposal to merge the bank and forgive the debt
Three ruling party legislators met this Tuesday with President Luis Lacalle Pou to discuss an electoral promise by the president and on which the senators have presented various proposals: the situation of the debtors in Readjustable Units with the Mortgage Bank (BHU).
The issue has been around for more than ten years and in 2022 the president had communicated to the white senator Carlos Camy that the solution would not be through a bill but through administrative means. However, now, after the meeting on Tuesday, heThe solution refocused on a project and also on a decree.
However, some points of the solution that they handle in the ruling party it is tied to the approval of the merger between Banco Hipotecario and Banco República.
“What is the trigger? It is that the BHU will definitely merge with Banco República. Solutions for thousands of people emerge from this trigger,” said Germán Coutinho, a Colorado senator, at a press conference after yesterday’s meeting.
The problem is that approving a merger of this type requires special majorities (two-thirds of the votes) in Parliament, so a very broad agreement within the political system would be necessary.
As declared by Germán Coutinho to different media, “There is a solution” for “some 2,500 families” who have been paying for more than 40 years and would stop paying. In addition, there is another group of people who have not been quantified but who have been paying for 30 years and whose debt will be refinanced without interest, according to El País.
A third group, which has been paying for 20 years, will receive a reduction in interest. For this group, according to Coutinho told El Observador, it is necessary to approve the merger of the BHU with BROU.
In total, the project will cost about US$ 330 million and there are aspects that are not yet defined.
In total there are about 23 thousand people who have debts. Some 7 thousand with the Banco Hipotecario and the rest with the National Housing Agency.
Debtors in Indexed Units are those who took out different loans in this currency and who have seen their debt increase well above those who took out loans in Indexed Units.
