Woori Bank said Wednesday that its customers would be able to access housing mortgage loans via its Smart Apartment Loan smartphone application, scheduled for launch early next year.

With the app, customers will be able to attain loans by entering their personal information on their smartphone, officials said.

Once customers agree with the finalized amount of loans, interest rate and payback conditions, they receive a mobile version of the loan and mortgage contracts.

To promote the new service, the bank is likely to offer to application users an interest rate below 3 percent, below the average 3.58 percent, according to Woori Bank officials.

The mobile loan process, however, is only available for customers who already own a house. Those who purchase a new house and set a mortgage simultaneously will still have to visit a nearby bank branch.

Other major banks, such as Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank, are expected to follow Woori’s example.

In August, Hana Bank launched the One-Click Mortgage Loan for customers to get loan counseling over the phone and receive the necessary documents via fax.

The mobile rush in the local banking sector is also being attributed to the recent launch of Bank Wallet Kakao, a mobile money transfer service system affiliated with mobile messenger operator Daum Kakao.

(tellme@heraldcorp.com)