Housing mortgage loans surge, household loans increase significantly within half a year

In April this year, major commercial banks saw a sharp increase in housing mortgage loans, and household loans also showed the most notable growth in more than half a year. With the housing transaction market recovering and collective loans—executed at move-in—rising again, household loans at banks that had once slowed appeared to have returned to an expansion track.

According to Financial Today on April 4, as of late April, the housing mortgage loan balances of five major banks—KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, Woori Bank, and NH Nonghyup Bank—were tallied at 612.2243 trillion won. This figure was up by 1.9104 trillion won from the end of March. Measured purely by the increase, it was the largest rise in eight months since August 2025 (up 3.7012 trillion won). Since the start of this year, the trend has fluctuated: January fell by 1.4836 trillion won, February rose by 5967 billion won, March again fell by 3872 billion won, and then in April the upward trend became clearly pronounced once more.

Expanding the scope to total household loans also confirmed a similar pattern. The aggregate household loan balance of the five major banks increased from 765.729 trillion won at the end of March to 767.296 trillion won as of late April, rising by 1.567 trillion won. This was the largest increase since October 2025 (up 2.527 trillion won). In particular, personal collective loans increased by 2201 billion won, turning back to growth after 1 year and 7 months (since September 2024). Collective loans typically refer to loans in which multiple borrowers obtain financing at the same time during apartment pre-sales or at move-in, and they are usually heavily influenced by the pre-sale market and the number of move-ins. By contrast, personal credit loans shifted from an increase of 3475 billion won in March to a decrease of 3182 billion won in April. This can be interpreted as demand for funds used for living expenses or investment purposes weakening, while demand for housing-related funds remained comparatively more prominent.

On the corporate side, cash-flow dynamics also showed a “temperature difference.” Personal merchant loans increased by 3622 billion won in April and have kept a growth trend for three consecutive months. This suggests that amid ongoing economic uncertainty, the operating funds needed by self-employed individuals and small business owners are still continuing. Regarding deposit products, the balance of time deposits was 937.1834 trillion won, down by 2731 billion won within one month; meanwhile, the balance of fixed savings deposits was 46.5673 trillion won, up by 4095 billion won. Demand deposits that can be withdrawn at any time totaled 696.5524 trillion won, down by 3.3557 trillion won—showing a decrease after three months. This implies that some idle funds may have been redirected to other financial products, used to repay loans, or flowed into the investment sector.

The growth in bank housing mortgage loans is not only a matter of loan numbers; it also intersects with two issues: real estate market management and household debt management. If housing transactions and move-in volumes increase, the flow of actual demand for funds naturally may expand loan balances. However, if the growth rate accelerates, financial authorities may raise the level of control again. In the future, this trend is expected to continue depending on housing transaction volume, the direction of interest rates, and the number of newly moved-in homes. Over the coming period, the trajectory of bank household loans is expected to become a key core indicator for interpreting trends in both the financial market and the real estate market, and will likely draw attention accordingly.