Bank lending rates on new household loans edged down in February and interest rates paid by banks on new deposits also fell, central bank data showed Thursday.

The average interest rates on fresh household loans extended by local banks came to 3.38 percent in February, down 0.01 percentage point from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea.

The BOK data came amid South Korea's efforts to tackle rising household debt.

South Korea's outstanding household credit -- which is composed of household loans and credit card spending -- came to 1,344.3 trillion won ($1.2 trillion) at the end of 2016, up 11.7 percent from a year earlier.

The average interest rates on new mortgages came to 3.19 percent in February, up 0.03 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the BOK.

The average interest rates on all new loans stood at 3.45 percent in February, down 0.06 percentage point from a month earlier. The rates on new corporate loans came to 3.49 percent, down 0.06 percentage point from the previous month.

The average rates paid by banks on fresh deposits fell 0.02 percentage point to 1.49 percent over the cited period. The gap between the interest rates paid to and by banks came to 1.96 percent in February, down from 2.00 percent in January. (Yonhap)