Banks' loan delinquency rate edges up in May

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The delinquency rate of South Korean banks' won-denominated loans edged up in May from a month earlier due to a slight rise in non-performing loans, government data showed Wednesday.

The rate for bank loans more than 30 days overdue stood at 0.58 percent at the end of May, up from 0.54 percent at the end of April, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service.

Compared to a year ago, however, the rate was down 0.16 percentage point, it said.

"In May, newly delinquent loans exceeded resolved loans and this contributed to the rise in the delinquency rate," the regulator said in a statement.

The delinquency rate of loans extended to large firms stood at 0.64 percent at the end of May, down 0.01 percentage point from a month earlier. That of loans to households rose 0.02 percentage point on month to 0.3 percent at the end of May, according to the data.
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