In order to further meet the demand for rigid and improved housing and promote the stable and healthy development of the real estate market, more than 20 cities across the country have recently introduced policies to optimize and adjust their housing provident fund. These policies aim to alleviate the pressure on residents to purchase houses and help achieve stable employment and housing by adjusting the down payment ratio of personal housing provident fund loans and including flexible employment personnel. The optimization direction of housing provident fund policies in many regions mainly focuses on adjusting the down payment ratio for home purchases and increasing the loan amount for some groups. Since last year, Changsha City in Hunan Province has continuously introduced new policies for housing provident fund loans in response to changes in the real estate market situation. According to the Changsha Housing Provident Fund Management Center, starting from April 19th last year, the maximum loan amount for newly-built commercial housing in the city has been increased to 800000 yuan, and for families with three children, it has been increased to 900000 yuan; Starting from May 18th, the interest rate for personal housing provident fund loans will be reduced by 0.25 percentage points; Starting from November 25th, the minimum down payment ratio for first and second homes will be uniformly adjusted to 20%. In January of this year, the Changsha Housing Provident Fund Management Center once again introduced a new policy. Starting from February 1st, the loan limit for employees (including provincial branch centers) who contribute to the housing provident fund in Changsha city will be calculated based on 15 times the sum of the balance of the housing provident fund accounts of both spouses. In addition, Changsha City also promotes various forms of loans such as combination loans, commercial to public loans, and cross regional loans through the issuance of housing provident fund loans, and continues to support the extraction of housing purchases, loan repayments, and rental housing to meet the diverse housing needs of residents. Agricultural Bank of China Changsha Branch actively promotes the combination of housing provident fund loans, continuously improves business processes, and provides customers with efficient, flexible, and fast loan services. In 2024, the bank has cumulatively invested nearly 5 billion yuan in housing loans, with an average reduction of 32 basis points in personal mortgage interest rates, saving nearly 40000 customers 60 million yuan in interest. The Dalian Housing Provident Fund Management Center in Liaoning Province recently drafted the "Notice on Adjusting and Optimizing Personal Housing Provident Fund Loan Policies (Draft for Comments)" and solicited public opinions from the society. The draft for soliciting opinions proposes that for borrowers applying for loans for their first and second homes, the minimum down payment ratio is 20%; For master's students who have obtained academic degrees and use housing provident fund loans to purchase self occupied housing in Dalian, the maximum loan amount for a single or double person will be increased by 400000 yuan on the basis of the current maximum loan amount; For families with multiple children who use housing provident fund loans to purchase self occupied housing in Dalian, the maximum loan amount for a single or double person will be increased by 400000 yuan on the basis of the current maximum loan amount. Xiao Wei, Vice President of the Dalian Branch of the Bank of Communications, said that the optimization and adjustment of the personal housing provident fund loan policy has further reduced the cost and threshold of purchasing a house by reducing the down payment ratio and increasing the loan amount for specific groups, reflecting care for specific groups, and is an important measure to promote the stable and healthy development of the regional real estate market. Tianjin will focus its policies on the provident fund contributions for flexible employment personnel. At the end of 2024, the "Management Measures for Flexible Employment Personnel Participating in the Housing Provident Fund System in Tianjin" officially came into effect, which for the first time included flexible employment personnel in the scope of the provident fund system. This policy specifies that individuals who work part-time, self-employed, or in new forms of employment may voluntarily contribute to and use the housing provident fund. Wang Fang, Director of the Loan Management Department of Tianjin Housing Provident Fund Management Center, stated that policy optimization and adjustment aim to focus on rigid and improved housing needs, and help employees have a place to live. After the implementation of the new policy, all types of people in Tianjin can enjoy the advantages of the housing provident fund system, effectively reducing the burden of housing expenses and improving housing payment ability. In addition to reducing loan pressure, the Tianjin Housing Provident Fund Management Center has also pioneered the "One Thing Transfer of Second hand Housing Loans" service initiative nationwide, embedding housing provident fund loans into the housing transaction process. Through "centralized data collection, integrated process operation, and synchronized completion of procedures," the three things of agreement signing, loan processing, and transfer mortgage are integrated into one thing, making the process of home purchase loans less complicated and time-consuming, providing great convenience for loan workers. The new housing provident fund policy in Tianjin has lowered the threshold for purchasing a house, improved the convenience of loans for specific groups, helped meet the housing needs of citizens, and promoted the stable and healthy development of the real estate market Ruan Lingxia, Deputy General Manager of the Personal Credit Department of the Agricultural Bank of China Tianjin Branch, introduced that in 2024, the Agricultural Bank of China Tianjin Branch will continue to do a good job in the allocation of personal housing loans, with a total of nearly 13 billion yuan in loans and an average reduction of 39 basis points in personal housing loan interest rates, saving nearly 110000 customers 40 million yuan in interest. (New Society)