CURITIBA (PR) — The search for structured credit in the south of the country has a well-defined demographic profile. An exclusive survey carried out by Banco Bari, a financial institution specializing in property-secured loans, reveals that consumers aged between 41 and 60 account for 63.2% of Home Equity contracts in the region. The detailed analysis shows that the age group between 41 and 50 years old leads the way, being responsible for 40.4% of operations, followed by the public between 51 and 60 years old, which accounts for 22.8% of the total active contracts in the institution's regional portfolio. The behavior of this mature audience contrasts with younger generations. Borrowers aged between 31 and 40 years old represent 22.1% of contracts, while the portion over 61 years old up to 70 years old is equivalent to 13.2%. The preference of more mature consumers for credit lines linked to real estate guarantees is directly linked to the family income profile and financial stability. According to the Banco Bari database, the general average family income of borrowers in the South who contract the product is R$22,022.75. When analyzed by state, Rio Grande do Sul has the highest average salary, with R$24,213.59, followed closely by Paraná, with R$22,038.84, and Santa Catarina, with R$19,801.25. Change in behavior and the national scenario The advancement of modalities with real guarantees accompanies a movement towards lower interest rates in the national market. According to Serasa Experian's Consumer Demand Indicator for Credit, Brazilian demand for financial resources registered an increase of 15.2% in the 12 months up to April. The greatest growth occurred in the income range between 1 and 2 minimum wages (28%), but demand among consumers with income above 10 minimum wages also remained strong, registering an increase of 17%. At the same time, the Brazilian credit market has undergone a restructuring of its offers due to default rates, which reached a historic record of 83.5 million negative CPFs in May 2026, according to Serasa Experian. A recent survey carried out by PwC illustrates this change in direction: the share of unsecured credit on the shelves of financial institutions plummeted from 60% of offers in 2019 to just 14% in 2025. In response, the banking sector began to focus efforts on the development and expansion of lower-risk modalities with robust guarantees. The mechanics and differences of Home Equity Unlike common personal or revolving credit, a property-secured loan uses the chattel mortgage of a residential or commercial asset as a real guarantee of the contract. This structure drastically reduces the risk of default for financial institutions, which allows for significantly lower interest rates and extended payment terms. At Banco Bari, for example, interest rates for the product start at 1.09% per month plus the IPCA variation, allowing the customer to access up to 60% of the appraised value of the approved property. The transaction is protected by a rigorous technical analysis process that encompasses the legal health of the parties, the client's ability to pay and the physical assessment of the property. "The property secured loan is not just based on the customer's credit score. The process includes a series of rigorous assessments, covering legal aspects, the customer's earning capacity and analysis of the property itself." — Mateus Vargas Fogaça, legal director of Bari. Despite the rigor, the presence of a real guarantee gives financial institutions greater flexibility to approve profiles that usually face barriers in traditional financing channels, such as self-employed professionals, people with CPF restrictions and retirees. Profiles that can have access to the loan with Bari's property guarantee Negative: The "dirty name" does not represent an automatic impediment to hiring. Banco Bari considers the credit score together with proof of income and the condition of the property. Proof of this is that, in the last two years, 60% of customers who sought a loan with property security at the institution used the resources primarily to pay off outstanding debts and organize their finances. Self-employed: With self-employment reaching 26.1 million Brazilians in 2025 (25.3% of the employed population, according to IBGE), proof of income in this type of credit has become more flexible. Banco Bari accepts recent bank statements, Income Tax declaration and delivery receipt and business invoices as proof. Legal Entity (PJ): Supported by Law No. 9,514/1997, the product can be contracted by companies using their own properties or those of their partners. The modality is often used by small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to raise working capital or expand their business without the need to get rid of their real estate assets. Retirees: Although they encounter age barriers in traditional lines, retirees and pensioners can use the property as collateral, respecting the rule where the sum of the applicant's age and the contract term does not exceed 80 years and 6 months. Thus, a 60-year-old customer can pay the loan in up to 20 years, while a 70-year-old borrower has a maximum term of around 10 years. About Banco Bari With over 31 years of experience and headquartered in Curitiba, Banco Bari is one of the pioneers in property-secured loans in Brazil. The institution brings together nine companies with complementary skills, allowing the entire credit granting, management and securitization chain to be carried out internally. In addition to its expertise in property-secured loans, Banco Bari offers solutions such as payroll loans, investments and real estate securitization.