Household loans across South Korea’s financial sector fell by 2.2 trillion won in September, marking the first monthly net decline in nine months and the first of 2026. Mortgage lending still rose by 3.3 trillion won, but the increase slowed from 4.3 trillion won in August as home transactions weakened and holiday bonuses entered household accounts.
Financial authorities said concerns about a year-end lending cliff for genuine home buyers should remain limited because group loans for new apartments are excluded from aggregate lending targets.