The Central Bank of Russia reported that corporate lending, including bonds, grew 1.3% in August, down from 1.5% in July, with growth spread evenly across sectors. Consumer lending accelerated to 1.7% from 1.1%, reflecting seasonal holiday and back-to-school spending, while mortgage growth remained broadly stable at 0.5%. Government-subsidized loans increased to about 56% of total mortgages from 52%. Household deposits declined 0.2%, partly because of higher consumer activity, while corporate deposits rose 1.9%, driven mainly by oil and gas producers and energy companies. Banking sector net profit was broadly unchanged at RUB 440 billion as banks increased planned provisions for corporate exposures and received higher dividends from subsidiaries.