Loan demand from consumers in Uruguay saw a slight increase between1% and 2% in the third quarter, El Observadorreported, citing a consumer credit monitoring report released by Pronto!.

The rebound, however, might not be sustainable as some signsstill indicate caution on credit demand consolidation in the country, includinglabor market deterioration in recent months that triggered a general deteriorationin loan payments. Overall, these trends indicate that default rates will likelyincrease in Uruguay, the report said.

The percentage of indebted consumers in the third quarter climbedfive points from the previous quarter and three points from a year ago, the publicationnoted.