Dhaka, Feb. 26 -- The defaulted loan amount in the country swelled to Tk3.45 lakh crore in December which is 20.20 percent of the total disbursement, said Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference at the central bank headquarters the governor said the figure of defaulted loans in last September was Tk 2.85 lakh crore or 16.93 percent of the total credit.

The defaulted loan rate of state owned banks was 42.80 percent in December. It was 40.30 percent in September, he said.

The default loans rate of private banks stood at 15.60 percent in December, which was 11.90 percent last September.

The governor also said that some banks have to be merged for their better management. But the deposits ...