Russia's Sberbank denies report on mortgage request suspension

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Sberbank <SBER.MM>, the country's largest lender, denied a report on Monday from RIA news agency that it had suspended taking new requests for auto loans and mortgages, its Chief Financial Officer Alexander Morozov told Reuters.

"Information on the suspension of (retail clients credit) is not true," Morozov said, adding that the bank continues to see mortgages as a priority and that its subsidiary Cetelem grants auto loans.

RIA news agency reported earlier on Monday, citing a person at the bank's call-centre, that Sberbank suspended until the end of February the taking of new requests from retail clients on loans for automobiles and mortgages.

(Reporting by Oksana Kobzeva; Writing by Polina Devitt, Editing by Thomas Grove)

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