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Chinese banks say mortgage default risks 'controllable'
A property construction site in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 28, 2022. /CFP

A property construction site in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 28, 2022. /CFP

Several Chinese banks on Thursday said their mortgage default risks are "controllable" as groups of homebuyers threatened to stop paying loans after property developers failed to hand over apartments in time.

Fifteen banks, including Postal Savings Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China, all said their loan business is small-scale and won't have a significant impact on operations.

According to China Media Group (CMG), the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said on Thursday that "it will guide financial institutions to participate in risk disposal in a market-oriented manner."

The commission also said it would strengthen coordination with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the People's Bank of China to resolve the issue.

The mortgage defaults saga has recently gained public attention on Chinese social media. According to Global Times, citing local media, more than 100 real estate projects in 18 provinces make up a list of projects exposed to mortgage defaults.

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