Loan restrictions eased, but flip-flopping regulations persist

[Anchor]

You may have heard that it is easier to get a loan at the beginning of the year than at the end of the year.

As this saying goes, financial institutions have loosened their lending restrictions and increased limits since the start of the new year.

However, should we just accept these fluctuating lending standards?

Reporter Hwang Hyun-kyu has investigated.

[Report]

I consulted about a mortgage loan at a commercial bank.

The collateral is an apartment in the metropolitan area valued at 600 million won.

[Heo Jae-young/Shinhan Bank Employee: "(If I apply for a loan for a 600 million won apartment for the first time this year, how much can I borrow?) An additional 55 million won is possible, so it can be executed within 2 to 3 weeks."]

Despite the government regulations not being relaxed, it was explained that the limits have increased and execution has become faster compared to the end of last year because it is the beginning of the year.

I checked the new year's lending standards of the five major commercial banks.

All loan recruitment activities have resumed, and the mortgage loan limits have been restored.

Refinancing loans have been allowed again, and most credit loan caps have been removed.

What was not possible until December 31 is now possible as of January 1.

[Lim Byeong-soo/Loan Seeker: "I was a bit confused when I found out that loans were not available in December. Now they say they are available in January. I think consumers will be a bit confused."]

The annual total loan regulation for banks was officially in place only for the year 2021.

Since then, it has changed to a self-regulation method by banks, but it feels the same from the consumer's perspective.

At the beginning of the year, when there is a lot of room in the total loan limit, loans are smooth, but as the limit decreases, the threshold for loans becomes higher like an 'official' rule.

[Bank Official/Voice Altered: "Was it around August of last year? Household loans increased significantly at that time. As a result, we took extreme measures such as a complete loan suspension at the end of the year."]

This year, starting in the second half, the 'DSR 3-stage' system, which will more thoroughly assess consumers' loan repayment abilities, is expected, so demand for loans may concentrate in the first half of the year.

In response to criticism of 'fluctuating regulations', financial authorities have stated that they will manage the total loan amount on a monthly or quarterly basis, but this may lead to more frequent loan guessing games.

This is KBS News Hwang Hyun-kyu.