MORE than 2,300 families have put in bids for the 1,500 places in the latest phase of a scheme to offer loans to middle-income home-buyers. The Housing Society, which manages the Government's sandwich class loan scheme, yesterday said the lukewarm response could be because some families were anticipating the opening of the long-term home-sale scheme next month. Previous phases attracted about 4,000 applications. The society's estate management director Wong Lai-chun said: 'From another point of view, we may say that with fewer competitors, this phase's applicants may stand a better chance to get the loans.' Application closed yesterday with 2,336 forms received. But the society is expecting some more forms to arrive by mail in the next one or two days. Applicants will be shortlisted for interviews and successful ones will be offered loans of up to $550,000 each. About 95,000 forms had been distributed for this phase of the scheme which was launched in August last year. So far nearly 1,000 families have obtained the loans to buy flats.
