Private sector banks, led by HDFC Bank, have sold close to Rs 40,000 crore of loans this fiscal - for the first time in more than two decades - to boost liquidity and balance their books amid slow deposit growth. HDFC Bank, which is facing an acute problem in maintaining the credit-deposit ratio, alone has sold about Rs 36,000 crore by either issuing pass-through certificates (PTCs) to investors or through the bilateral direct assignment (DA) route. IDFC First Bank sold Rs 2,142 crore of unsecured loans earlier this year while smaller lender RBL Bank has sold Rs 381 crore of loans, data collated by ET from ratings agencies showed.