CBRC to keep close eye on bad loans

The China Banking Regulatory Commission said on Friday it will keep a close eye on bad loans against the backdrop of the complicated economic situation.

"In the coming months we will pay attention to non-performing loans, and improve the accuracy and authenticity of loan classification among banks to strengthen risk control," it said in a statement published on its official website after a meeting analyzing economic and financial conditions.

The banking regulator vowed to actively curb the increase in soured loans, and make more efforts to dispose of existing bad assets by orderly restructuring debts.

"We will firmly hold to the bottom line and fend off financial risks."

By the end of 2012, Chinese lenders' bad loan ratio against total loans stood at 0.98 percent, up 0.03 percentage points from the third quarter, according to CBRC figures.

Chinese lenders have reported a fifth consecutive quarterly rise in the value of their bad loans, with outstanding non-performing loans going up to 492.9 billion yuan at the end of 2012.

The non-performing loan ratio fell 0.01 percentage point to 0.95 percent by December from three months earlier.