[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Sangjin] The issue of inappropriate loans being granted to bank employees and their relatives, known as "unfair loans," has become a significant concern. However, the management of banking systems remains inadequate, with only two of the top five banks implementing robust internal controls.

According to data submitted by the Financial Supervisory Service to Kim Sang-hoon, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, only Shinhan Bank and Hana Bank have established a database (DB) to manage information about employees' families and relatives as part of their internal control systems.

On October 22, it was revealed that only Shinhan Bank and Hana Bank, along with iM Bank, Busan Bank, Gyeongnam Bank, Jeonbuk Bank, Jeju Bank, and SH Suhyup Bank, have implemented systems that require employees to voluntarily register their family members' personal information, which is then managed and controlled electronically.

Employees of these banks cannot check the loans or deposit accounts of their registered family members or relatives through the system, ensuring that they have no involvement or influence in any of the related processes, such as drafting, approval, or decision-making—essentially a minimal safeguard against potential abuses.

In contrast, KB Kookmin Bank, Woori Bank, and NH Nonghyup Bank, among the top five banks, have adopted a lower level of control, merely providing pop-up notifications when family loans occur. SC First Bank and IBK Industrial Bank follow the same approach.

The concern arises from recent findings by Kim, which indicate that the banks using the pop-up notification system have been more prone to incidents of "self-lending." From 2020 to August 2024, incidents were reported at KB Kookmin Bank and Busan Bank, with three incidents each, NH Nonghyup Bank with two, and IBK Industrial Bank with one. Notably, the incidents at Busan Bank occurred in January 2021 and again in 2022, but no incidents have been reported since the implementation of stricter electronic control measures in September of that same year.

 

 

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