China’s real estate market is facing a bizarre twist: banks are bypassing auctions to seize and sell repossessed homes directly at steep discounts, dubbed “bank direct-supply housing.” This year, surges in listings—up to 25,000 from rural credit unions—signal desperate self-rescue amid soaring bad loans. Smaller banks, hit hardest by the property slump, can’t wait for recovery; they’re dumping assets to survive, ignoring regs meant to curb speculation.Yet this fire sale risks shattering price floors, clashing with Beijing’s stabilization push via rate cuts and eased rules. Government can’t bail out thousands of small lenders like in the ’90s—it’s triaging big banks while letting the rest fend off collapse. Key takeaway: this isn’t fleeting; it’s deleveraging’s painful dawn, with housing prices far from bottomed. Watch for broader financial tremors.
