Mumbai, Nov 11 (IANS): ICICI Bank on Wednesday announced that its mortgage loan portfolio has crossed the Rs 2 lakh crore mark, making it the first private sector bank in India to achieve the feat.

Announcing the achievement in a statement here, ICICI Bank Executive Director Anup Bagchi said: "We have been catalysing the growth of retail lending in the country over the past two decades by making it more convenient and widely accessible for customers. I am delighted to share that as a result of our continuous endeavour over the years, we have crossed Rs 2 trillion in retail mortgage portfolio."

The statement said that along with making the entire mortgage process digital, ICICI Bank has been leveraging big data analytics to offer loans -- fresh loans, top-ups and balance transfer -- instantly to millions of pre-approved customers.

Also, the bank's completely digital process allows a customer to get a sanction letter immediately, it said, adding that during the pandemic the bank launched the video KYC facility for customers so that they can do so from their home.

Bagchi added: "Anticipating rapid growth in demand in upcoming cities for real estate, especially in the affordable segment, we have expanded our footprint far and wide. Now, we are present in 1,100 locations, including tier 2, 3 and 4 cities as well as fast-growing outskirts of metro cities.

He said that the bank has also scaled up its credit processing centres from around 170 to over 200 in the past two years in these new markets.