Bank of China sees higher 2009 loan growth than av

BEIJING Aug 27 (Reuters) - Bank of China (3988.HK) (601988.SS), the country's largest foreign exchange bank, expects its loan growth in 2009 to be higher than industry average, although demand for credit in the second half will be lower than the first half.

The bank is also studying plans to raise capital, including the issue of subordinated bonds, President Li Lihui told reporters.

Bank of China posted better-than-expected 10 percent growth in second-quarter earnings after the bank's lending surged more than 30 percent in the first six months. [ID:nPEK181405] (Reporting by Michael Wei; writing by Doug Young; Editing by Chris Lewis and Rupert Winchester)