Banks have maintained their positive lending attitude, although yields in the short- to medium-term zone -- which affect banks' profits to a large extent -- have  8  remained negative and the spread between deposit and lending rates has been on a declining trend (Chart 10).
In this respect, the guidelines published last March by the SSM are an important point of 5  reference and indicate several possible options, from the creation of separate and specialised management units, to the recourse to external managers, and to the sale of portfolios on the market.