In February 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW2.9 trillion (preliminary), growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW1.4 trillion).

(By Type)  Home-backed mortgage loans rose KRW4.2 trillion, growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.0 trillion). Mortgage loans turned back up in the banking sector (down KRW0.6 trillion → up KRW0.4 trillion) and expanded at a slightly faster pace in the nonbanking sector (up KRW3.6 trillion → up KRW3.8 trillion).

Other types of loans edged down KRW1.2 trillion, declining at a slower pace compared with the previous month (down KRW1.6 trillion), as credit loans dropped at a slower pace (down KRW1.1 trillion → down KRW1.0 trillion).

(By Sector)  In February 2026, household loans in the banking sector saw a drop of KRW0.3 trillion, declining at a slower pace compared with the previous month (down KRW1.0 trillion). Banks’ own mortgage loan products fell at a slower pace (down KRW1.7 trillion → down KRW1.1 trillion), while policy-based mortgage loans rose at a faster pace (up KRW1.1 trillion → up KRW1.5 trillion). Other types of loans including credit loans declined at a faster pace (down KRW0.4 trillion → down KRW0.7 trillion).

In the nonbanking sector, household loans rose KRW3.3 trillion, growing at an expanded level from a month ago (up KRW2.5 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW2.3 trillion → up KRW3.1 trillion) saw household loans edging up more rapidly, while insurance companies (down KRW0.2 trillion → up KRW0.2 trillion) and specialized credit finance businesses (down KRW0.01 trillion → up KRW0.1 trillion) saw household loans growing back up from declines seen a month ago. Savings banks (up KRW0.3 trillion → down KRW0.1 trillion) saw household loans edging back down from an increase seen in the previous month.

(Assessment)  In February 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans edged up KRW2.9 trillion led by an expanded level of growth seen in policy-based mortgage loans in the banking sector (up KRW1.1 trillion → up KRW1.5 trillion) and a growth in the nonbanking sector (up KRW2.5 trillion → up KRW3.3 trillion), due to the effects of the spring moving season and the continued growth of group lending in the nonbanking sector.

With the scheduled end (May 9) to the provision of capital gains tax exemption for multiple-home owners, there may be an increased supply of house listings in the real estate market in March. Thus, it is necessary to continue to maintain rigorous monitoring over trends of household loans and housing market situations across different regions.

The government will continue to work to take preemptive and immediate steps to make sure that concerns over increased volatility in household loans do not translate into instability in the real estate market.

* Please refer to the attached PDF for details.