BANKING CONSUMER CREDIT – A COMPONENT OF THE “RETAIL BANKING” BUSINESS SEGMENT

Abstract

The topic of bank financing of consumption is widely discussed in the studies of a number of researchers in the field of banking. The loans by which banking companies meet the personal needs of individuals and households have long been an integral part of people's lives and have had a significant role in the economies of most countries around the world. This paper aims to clarify the essential characteristics and specificities of banking consumer credit in Bulgaria. To implement the goal set by the author, the texts of the legal framework on consumer lending in the country are considered, and also the positions of Bulgarian and foreign authors on the definition of the term “consumer credit” and practically applied manifestations of individual types of loans for current purposes, offered by commercial banks in Bulgaria.