SEOUL, April 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korean banks' household lending rebounded in four months due to higher demand for credit loans, central bank data showed Wednesday.
Debt owed by households to deposit-taking banks totaled 1,172.8 trillion won (about 792.6 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of March, up 0.5 trillion won from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The household debt turned around after sliding for the past three months, owing to an expansion in credit loans for stock investments that offset the government's efforts to curb housing purchases with borrowed money.
Banks' mortgage loans stood unchanged in March after growing 0.3 trillion won in the previous month.
The domestic real estate market fluctuated in recent months, with the number of apartment transactions across the country reaching 42,000 last December, 48,000 in January and 41,000 in February.
Other loans to households, including credit loans, credit line and commercial real estate-backed loans, rose 0.5 trillion won in March compared to the previous month.
The BOK left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.50 percent after reducing it by 25 basis points in February and May of 2025 and in October and November of 2024.
Banks' corporate loans ran to 1,387 trillion won at the end of March, up 7.8 trillion won from a month earlier.
Lending to big companies mounted 3.4 trillion won, while loans to small firms swelled 4.5 trillion won last month. ■