Bank lending rates for new loans in South Korea again trended lower in January after briefly ticking up a month earlier, central bank data showed Friday.
  

The average rate for new loans to households, companies and other organizations came in at 3.9 percent last month, slipping 0.01 percentage point from the previous month, according to the preliminary data by the Bank of Korea.
  

In December, the figure gained 0.03 percentage point to 3.91 percent, posting the first on-month rise since March last year when the average rate inched up to 4.46 percent from 4.45 percent.
  

Since then, lending rates have been trending lower in line with the BOK's two rate cuts, in August and October last year. Since then, the policy rate has been held at a record low of 2 percent.
  

By category, the average lending rate for corporate loans fell 0.05 percentage point to 4.02 percent, while that for households added 0.04 percentage point to 3.59 percent.
  

The average savings deposit rate fell 0.07 percentage point to 2.09 percent, according to the data. (Yonhap)