It was recently learned from the Yichang Branch of the People’s Bank of China that as of the end of March, the total deposit balance of financial institutions in Yichang reached 710.2 billion yuan, with an increase of 33.8 billion yuan this year, a year-on-year growth of 10.42%. The total loan balance stood at 707.3 billion yuan, with an increase of 44.4 billion yuan this year, a year-on-year growth of 11.9%. The total amount, increment and growth rate of loans all ranked first among cities and prefectures of the same level in the province, with the loan increment being the highest in the past five years. (Reporter/Song Xiaoxiao, Correspondent/Hu Hengjie)