Standard Bank's personal, business loans up 50 pct in 2011

JOHANNESBURG: Standard Bank , Africa's largest lender, lent 75 billion rand ($9.63 billion) to its South African personal and business customers in 2011, nearly 50 percent more than the previous year.

Home loans rose 34 billion rand, Peter Schlebusch, the CEO of Personal and Business Banking, said in a statement on Thursday. Loans to the affordable housing segment grew 54 percent, he said.

Standard Bank will post its full-year financial results in March. Its shares closed Thursday's session at 106.16 rand, up 7.5 percent this year.