Dec 16 (Reuters) - South Korea's financial watchdog, the Financial Services Commission (FSC), said on Wednesday it would tighten control over banks' lending and was ready to strengthen measure further to rein in mortgage loan growth. [ID:TOE5BE09Y]
Following are key financial regulatory measures the government has announced over the past few months.
LOAN-TO-DEPOSIT RATIO
Dec 16, 2009 - FSC will call on banks to keep their loan-to-deposit ratio, excluding certificates of deposits, at around 100 percent from 2010, in order to control household loan growth. A four-year grace period will be granted before fully adopting the new rule. [ID:nSEW002130]
OUTSIDE BOARD MEMBERS
Dec 16, 2009 - FSC will draw up new standards to appraise banks' outside board members so that they are held more accountable for management decisions from 2010 and avoid conflicts of interest.
BOND NAKED SHORT SELLING
Nov 20, 2009 - A top South Korean regulator said the authorities would take steps to encourage local and foreign banks to use naked short selling of bonds, a move analysts said could trigger a flood of foreign buying. [ID:nSEO306644]
FOREX LIQUIDITY MEASURES FOR BANKS
Nov 19, 2009 - FSC unveiled a package of measures requiring banks to hold at least 2 percent of their total foreign assets in high-rated foreign treasury bonds from July 2010, and prohibiting them to trade forex forwards worth more than 125 percent of the value of exports to avoid excessive currency-hedging. [ID:nSEO366]
Dec 16, 2009 - The forex measures will be applied to the non-banking sector later on.
CURBS ON MORTGAGE LENDING
Sept, 2009 - FSC limited the percentage of a borrower's annual income spent on servicing debt to 50 percent for mortgages in the capital Seoul and 60 percent in nearby Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. [ID:nSEO324778]
(Reporting by Kim Yeon-hee in SEOUL; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)