Factors Affecting Customers’ Decision for Taking out Bank Loans: A Case of Greek Customers

Abstract

The concept of loyalty has received much consideration from both academics and practitioners in various industries and is a predominant research topic in the banking industry. Identifying the factors that affect customers' decision to take out a loan from a particular bank has become an essential asset for many banks in their effort to attract new customers and to maintain existing ones. The purpose of the present study is to identify factors that influence Greek customers' decision to take out a loan from commercial banks. A number of variables (demographics, service quality and satisfaction) have been examined as potential factors influencing customers' decision to take out a loan. A randomly selected sample of Greek citizens (n=277) was chosen in order to test our hypotheses. A questionnaire with self-determined scales was created after ensuring the instrument's validity through confirmatory factor analysis. Logistic regression results show that personal marital status, customer service, shop design and interest rates are the most significant predictors of taking loans. Several managerial implications suggest bank managers should focus on giving loans to single individuals as well as change their interest rates policies by decreasing rates for all kinds of loans, especially housing loans.