13 Oct 2010 12:08

Russian bank lending grows 6.6% in Jan-Sept

MOSCOW. Oct 13 (Interfax) - Banks in Russia increased their combined credit portfolio 6.6% year-on-year in January-September, the Central Bank of Russia's First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said at the Gaidar readings in Moscow on Wednesday.

Private banks are lending at a higher rate than state banks - 9% more for the period, Ulyukayev said. This is a good sign, he said, as private banks are not under any sort of administrative pressure and because they do open-eyed economic-risk assessment.