SEOUL, May 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korean banks' household lending rose faster last month due to solid demand for mortgage loan, central bank data showed Sunday.
Debt owed by households to deposit-taking banks totaled 1,174.9 trillion won (783.3 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of April, up 2.1 trillion won (1.4 billion dollars) from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The April growth was faster than the 0.5 trillion won (333.3 million dollars) increase in the previous month, keeping an upward trend for a second straight month.
Banks' mortgage loan expanded 2.7 trillion won (1.8 billion dollars) in April amid higher home transactions.
The domestic real estate market fluctuated in recent months, with the number of apartment transactions across the country reaching 48,000 in January, 41,000 in February and 49,000 in March.
Other loans to households, including credit loan, credit line and commercial real estate-backed loan, sank 0.6 trillion won (400.0 million dollars) in April 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 2024.
Banks' corporate loan ran to 1,397.7 trillion won (931.8 billion dollars) at the end of April, up 10.7 trillion won (7.1 billion dollars) from a month earlier.
Lending to big companies mounted 5.0 trillion won (3.3 billion dollars), while loan to small firms swelled 5.7 trillion won (3.8 billion dollars) last month. ■