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![Cofix, or the Cost of Funds Index, a benchmark lending rate for mortgage loans, came to 3.82 percent in September, up 0.16 percentage points from a month earlier, according to the data from the Korea Federation of Banks. The average lending rate of major banks in Korea for mortgage loans increased for the first time in three months after interest rates for deposits and bank bonds went up. The photo shows a banner showing interest rates attached outside a bank on Tuesday in downtown Seoul. [YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/11738242.jpg?imageId=11738242&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)
![A person walks past a banner promoting loans in front of a bank in Seoul on Jan. 17. The Cost of Fund Index (Cofix), which is the reference rate for variable-rate mortgages, fell for the first time in 11 months to 4.29 percent in December. [YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/11269652.jpg?imageId=11269652&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)
![A notice about interest rates is up outside a bank in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday. [NEWS1]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/10640958.jpg?imageId=10640958&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)
![The mortgage loan window at a commercial bank in Seoul. [YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/11800374.jpg?imageId=11800374&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)