New Delhi: One look at the statistics and it will not be difficult to figure out where the real action is happening in the home loan segment. Small towns and cities are really outpacing the growth of home loan off take in the metros.

In 2005-06 more than twenty percent of the total homes in Bhubaneshwar were financed by a home loan from a scheduled bank. The picturesque capital of Sikkim, Gangtok has this figure pegged at more than 25 percent. Though, the average size of home loan is just Rs. 3.4 lakh , which is far far lower than a home loan ticket size in metros, the number of home loan takers from such locations are a clear indication of the home loan boom.

Top metros and big cities lead in terms of value of home loans. The table below summarizes the position:

These approximate figures clearly reveal that though the number of home loans may be higher in smaller locations, banks still get their maximum business from the metros.

Coming to the cities, Noida tops the list followed by Gurgaon and Delhi if we rank them keeping in mind the average value of each loan account opened in 2005-2006. Mumbai is placed at a distant eighth position. Approximate figures are represented in the table below:

The rankings of cities change with parameters like the value of each loan, volume of loan, average borrowing per household or the proportion of household that borrowed.