The People's Bank of China's Beijing....>

CHINA PRESS: The People's Bank of China's Beijing operations' office said

Tuesday it supports commercial banks in Beijing increasing mortgage rates by 5%

to 10% higher than benchmarks, the Securities Times reported Wednesday. Some

banks have increased mortgage rates -- which is in line with policies for

curbing the property market and strengthening credit support for the real

economy, the office said. Other large cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen and

Nanjing have increased mortgage rates for first-home buyers, the report said.

Most small- and medium-sized banks have raised rates by 10% because of higher

capital costs, the report said. (Securities Times)