Household loans extended by five major lenders in South Korea rose for the ninth consecutive month in January with the rate of increase also quickening from a month earlier, market sources said Thursday. Household loans extended by the five top lenders here added 2.9 trillion won (US$2.17 billion) from a month earlier to 695.3 trillion won as of end-January, compared with a 2.02 trillion won on-month gain tallied last month, according to the sources. The five banks' household loans have been on a steady rise since May 2023, when they posted an on-month increase for the first time in 18 months. In January, the rise was led by a 4.43 trillion won increase in home-backed loans, compared with a 3.67 trillion won gain the previous month. Credit loans dropped by 1.02 trillion won, marking an on-month decrease for a third consecutive month. Corporate loans extended by the five leading banks -- KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and Nonghyup -- also continued to grow in January. Loans extended to large businesse s gained 2.5 trillion won from a month earlier to 138.9 trillion won as of end-January, with those to smaller firms adding 311 billion won, according to the market sources. Source: Yonhap News Agency