Sicilian families and new credit needs: between planning and sustainability of installments

The year we just said goodbye to a few weeks ago has left behind a decidedly worrying economic picture for Italian families. This discussion also includes Sicilian families, who are grappling, among other things, with a significant increase in rents.

In Palermo, Catania, and Messina, for example, the issue of housing has become central: for many families, finding an apartment for rent at sustainable prices is increasingly difficult, while expenses for utilities, food, and transportation continue to weigh on household budgets. This was also stated by Istat, which published a report detailing the current economic situation in Sicily. Negative variations began in October, but in reality, the gap has widened even more since November. Compared to December 2024, for example, the increase exceeds one percentage point, and it is clear that the negative effects are particularly felt on family budgets. In general, however, the latest Istat surveys regarding inflation reveal a worrying increase.

The need to intervene to cut some expenses, precisely due to the high cost of living, necessarily entails greater awareness regarding the planning of all expenses related to the family context. For example, there is also an effort to pay more attention to the sustainability of payments for those who have a mortgage or a loan.

Credit as a management tool and not just for emergencies

A greater awareness of the financial tools available for planning one’s family or couple life becomes important for Sicilian families, in order to manage their assets, both real estate and movable, with a logical sense and a long-term vision. And if the resources are not sufficient to implement the necessary investments for daily life or to realize your dreams, then it is necessary to rethink credit as well, no longer just a tool to face emergencies, but a strategic lever to organize and
plan various investments. Consider the purchase of a new and more spacious car for the family, up to the renovation of one or more parts of your home, even just to make it more functional to your needs or in view of future necessities, as well as for expenses in the healthcare sector, such as visits and examinations that tend to be postponed while waiting for greater liquidity or, again, to invest in your education and, therefore, towards
a specific career path.

Demand for personalized consulting is growing

For these reasons, there is a strong increase in the demand to delve into the discussion about activating lines of credit with competent and experienced professionals, in order to receive a tailored proposal based on one’s needs. It becomes essential to have an open and transparent dialogue with industry professionals, especially aiming for clarity regarding the contracts and various documents that need to be signed. In this regard, it is important to highlight the significant work done by national consumer credit operators such as Compass.

Digital and branch: an increasingly appreciated hybrid model

If there has been a lot of talk lately about AI and how it could replace the physical branches of various credit institutions or banks, it should be noted that there is currently a marked preference for a hybrid model, with branches maintaining an importance that is far from diminished. On one hand, there is an increasingly high level of digitalization, while on the other hand, many customers still consider branches as an indispensable channel for credit. The hybrid model is useful because, on one hand, the digital apparatus allows for simulations and provides a preliminary overview of services and information on active credit proposals, as well as for conducting actual online simulations. For those who wish to evaluate solutions transparently and simulate amounts and installments before making a decision, it is possible to find out about the conditions of personal loans online directly on the Compass website. On the other hand, however, human support in branches is still considered essential, and thus it can be highlighted that there is still a very close relationship between customers and the territory in which they live: trust in the staff operating in the branches and an aspect of territorial proximity are the reasons behind this situation.

Financial education and informed choices

For customers, having a minimum awareness and knowledge in the field of financial education and the tools available is useful for being able to engage in a proper comparison of the various offers available. At the same time, one can work on medium-term planning, knowing how to recognize, while always exercising due caution, the correct information from that which is better to avoid.