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Mortgage loan rates among S.Korean banks rise to 10-month high

Xinhua, December 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Rates for mortgage loans among South Korean banks rose to the highest in 10 months amid the expected three rate hikes next year in the United States, central bank data showed on Wednesday.

Rates for home-backed loans offered by banks stood at an annualized rate of 3.04 percent in November, up 0.15 percentage points from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It was the highest since January, keeping an upward momentum for four months in a row after a rebound in 2.66 percent in July to 2.70 percent in August.

The rebound came amid rising expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in December this year. The Fed indicated three rate increases in 2017, putting pressure on the BOK to lift its policy rate that sank to its all-time low of 1.25 percent.

Rates for all lendings to households advanced 0.12 percentage points over the month to 3.20 percent last month.

One percentage point increase in lending rates is estimated to raise debt-serving burden on households by about 9 trillion won (7.5 billion U.S. dollars) per year.

According to the BOK's financial stability report released on Tuesday, 1.46 million South Koreans are borrowers sensitive to higher lending rates for their low credit and low income. Their debts amounted to 78.6 trillion won. Endit