SEOUL, Mar. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – As predictions of declining real estate values gain momentum, the scale of reverse mortgage guarantees in South Korea is set to hit an all-time high this year, signaling an increased adoption among homeowners. Reverse mortgages, available to individuals over 55, allow homeowners to secure a loan against their property to [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) – In a concerning trend, mortgage delinquency rates among homeowners in their 20s and below are surging, far outpacing other age groups. Young adults who have recently entered the workforce are finding themselves trapped in high-interest mortgages, leaving them struggling to make the monthly payments. According to data obtained by National [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — An increasing number of people are struggling to pay back loans with as interest rates continue to rise, a central bank report said Monday. The Bank of Korea (BOK) reported that the average debt service ratio (DSR) of mortgage borrowers in the third quarter of this year reached 60.6 [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Households may have to cope with higher mortgage rates as the Bank of Korea (BOK) raised its key interest rate for the first time in a year, market watchers said Friday. In a widely anticipated move to cool property prices, the BOK lifted its key rate by 25 basis [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – The growth of mortgage loans in South Korea markedly slowed last month amid indications of interest rate hikes and a downturn in the real estate market, data showed Wednesday. Outstanding home-backed loans extended by six major banks here – KB Koomin, Shinhan, Woori, KEB Hana, NH and the Industrial [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean mortgage rates gained considerably in November from the previous month due to rising market interest ahead of a U.S. rate hike, data showed Thursday. Annual mortgage rates charged by South Korea’s top five lenders — KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Woori Bank, KEB Hana Bank and NH [...]
SEJONG, July 26 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of South Koreans changing their residences dropped nearly 13 percent on-year in June as the housing market showed signs of slowing, the state statistics agency said Tuesday. A total of 567,000 South Koreans changed their residences in June, down 83,000, or 12.8 percent, from a year earlier, [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean banks will likely impose tougher rules for screening mortgages in non-capital areas starting next year, joining government-led efforts to rein in the country’s runaway household debt, industry sources said Thursday. The financial authorities have asked local banks to use the debt-to-income (DTI) ratio when they screen mortgage [...]
RIVERWOODS, Ill. July 21, 2014 (Korea Bizwire)–Homebuying season is in full-swing and a recent independent poll commissioned by Discover Home Loans shows that 94 percent of prospective buyers believe they are making a good investment by purchasing a home. Although 87 percent are confident they will find an affordable home loan, the poll shows [...]
SEOUL, Korea, Mar 28 (Korea Bizwire) – As it is getting harder to pay back mortgages, more households are feeling themselves as “house poor.”According to a report by the Korea Housing Institute, the number of Korean households which feel difficulty in repaying the debt from buying their houses, dubbed as “house poor,” was estimated to [...]