Loans by Italian banks to businesses fell again in November, for the tenth month in a row, albeit at a slower pace than in October, Bank of Italy data showed on Wednesday.

Bank credit to businesses fell 4.8% year-on-year in November, the Bank of Italy said, following a slightly revised 5.3% drop in October.

Deposits were at 2.39 trillion euros ($2.62 trillion), down from 2.40 trillion in October.

Banks increased their bond issuance, with sales up 19.7% yearly in October from 17.9% the previous month. ($1 = 0.9137 euros) (Reporting by Sara Rossi, editing by Giulai Segreti)