China's new yuan-denominated lending in February stood at 700.01 billion yuan (US$102.5 billion), half that of January's 1.39 trillion yuan, the People's Bank of China (PBOC, the central bank) said Thursday.

China's yuan-denominated lending in 2009 hit a record 9.59 trillion yuan, almost double that of the previous year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2010)