Italian bank deposits' growth accelerates further in April, central bank says

MILAN (Reuters) -The growth of Italian residents' deposits at domestic banks accelerated further in April while lending to businesses continued to fall, albeit at a slower pace, the Bank of Italy said on Wednesday.

Deposits increased 1.9% year-on-year in April after rising 1.7% in March, central bank data showed.

On a monthly basis, they were up to 2.3 trillion euros ($2.63 trillion) from 2.29 trillion euros in March. In October they stood at 2.27 trillion euros, the lowest level since February 2017.

Bank loans to businesses fell 0.8% year-on-year, the central bank said, following a 1.1% decline in March.

There was almost zero growth in the issuance of bank bonds, data also showed, with sales up 0.2% year-on-year in April after a 3.3% rise in March.

($1 = 0.8754 euros)

(Reporting by Sara Rossi, editing by Alvise Armellini)