Seoul: Household loans extended by banks grew at the slowest pace in four months, central bank data showed Wednesday, although mortgage lending appeared to be accelerating. Outstanding household loans extended by banks stood at 1,198 trillion won (US$893 billion) last month, up 3.4 trillion won from a month earlier, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). It marked the smallest monthly increase since April, when such loans rose by 2.1 trillion won.

According to Yonhap News Agency, outstanding mortgage loans increased by 4 trillion won on-month in August to 952.5 trillion won. Other household loans, in contrast, fell by 600 billion won to 244.9 trillion won. An official at the central bank noted that an increase in housing transactions in the greater Seoul area in May and homes becoming available for occupancy in July and August boosted demand for mortgage loans.

"While growth in household lending has slowed, mortgage loans have continued to rise gradually. We need to take a wait-and-see approach to the impact of real estate policies announced in August," the official added. Meanwhile, the decline in other loans was attributed to reduced retail investment in the stock market and tighter lending controls by local banks.