The lending attitude index stood at minus 11 for the October-December quarter, down from minus 2 in the previous quarter, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK) poll of 204 banks and other financial institutions conducted between Aug. 30 and Sept. 13.
The index below zero indicates that lenders willing to tighten loan standard outnumber those willing to ease it.
The lending attitude index for mortgage loan to households dived from 11 in the third quarter to minus 11 in the fourth quarter, while the index for big companies retreated from 3 to zero in the cited period.
The central bank had left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.50 percent since January, after hiking it by 3.0 percentage points for the past one and a half years.
The credit risk index for small companies increased from 28 in the third quarter to 31 in the fourth quarter, but the index for households retreated from 31 to 25 in the same period.
The lending demand index gained from 14 to 16 in the cited quarter on expectations for higher corporate demand for operating funds, caused by the lingering economic uncertainty.
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