Housing prices rose 12.8 percent in April from a year earlier in China's 70 large and medium-sized cities, the National Bureau of Statistics said today. That was 1.1 percentage points higher than March's housing price rise.

Housing prices are unlikely to drop this year despite tightening measures adopted by the government to cool the property market, a top think tank and senior economists said on Wednesday.

Total loans extended by 12 listed banks amounted to 21.77 trillion yuan ($3.19 trillion) in 2009, with property-related loans totaling 5.28 trillion yuan, accounting for over 20 percent.

China's property prices rose at a record pace in March, indicating more drastic measures may be needed amid concern of a bubble in the nation's housing market.

Bank lending slowed in March as the government took further steps to rein in credit, amid rising inflation and asset bubble risks.