SEOUL, May 11 (Xinhua) -- South Korean banks' household lending rebounded in four months on expectations for policy rate freeze in the foreseeable future, central bank data showed Thursday.
Debts owed by households to deposit-taking banks came in at 1,052.3 trillion won (796.2 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of April, up 2.3 trillion won (1.7 billion dollars) from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
It marked the first rebound in four months as expectations spread for the BOK refraining from hiking interest rates in the foreseeable future amid rising worry about economic slowdown.
The BOK has kept its policy rate on hold at 3.50 percent since January after hiking it by 3.0 percentage points for the past one and a half years.
Banks' mortgage loan expanded 2.8 trillion won (2.1 billion dollars) last month due to the supply of the government-backed mortgage loans to prop up the faltering housing market.
Other loans to households, including credit loan, credit line and commercial real estate-backed loan, retreated 500 billion won (378.3 million dollars) in April.
Banks' corporate loan stood at 1,196.7 trillion won (905.5 billion dollars) at the end of April, up 7.5 trillion won (5.7 billion dollars) from a month earlier.
Lending to big companies increased 3.1 trillion won (2.4 billion dollars), and loans to small firms expanded 4.4 trillion won (3.3 billion dollars) last month. ■
