Lending to households exceeded repayments by €68m during September, according to the Central Bank.
It is the first time this has happened in a year, according to the authority’s figures, and only the third time since the end of 2009.
The shift was driven by a €79m increase in consumer credit during the month, though the Central Bank said lending to households has continued to fall on an annual basis.
Repayments also continue to exceed draw-downs in the year-to-date; by €1.8bn in the category of house purchases and €1.2bn for non-housing loans to households.
Meanwhile, loan repayments by non-financial corporations exceeded draw-downs by €514m in September, following a €367m decline in August.
The Central Bank said net lending of all durations had fallen in the year to date in this category, particularly in relation to loans with a maturity of up to one year.
Private sector deposits totalled €172bn by the end of September, the majority of which related to households.
Household deposits were down in the month but up €272m in the year to date, the Central Bank said, however longer term deposits had fallen sharply due to the low interest rates on offer.
Meanwhile, credit institutions’ borrowings from the Central Bank stood at €19bn by the end of September, the majority of which was held by domestic lenders.
This represented the lowest level since the start of 2008, it said, with new borrowings continuing to fall in September.
