In the context of this series of interconnected finance-related queries and the additional information provided by the pretext, table data, and posttext from a company's financial filings, please provide a response to the final question. This may require extracting information from the context and performing mathematical calculations. Please take into account the information provided in the preceding questions and their answers when formulating your response:
Context: 18 . allowance for credit losses . <table class='wikitable'><tr><td>1</td><td>in millions of dollars</td><td>2009</td><td>2008 ( 1 )</td><td>2007 ( 1 )</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>allowance for loan losses at beginning of year</td><td>$ 29616</td><td>$ 16117</td><td>$ 8940</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>gross credit losses</td><td>-32784 ( 32784 )</td><td>-20760 ( 20760 )</td><td>-11864 ( 11864 )</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>gross recoveries</td><td>2043</td><td>1749</td><td>1938</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>net credit ( losses ) recoveries ( ncls )</td><td>$ -30741 ( 30741 )</td><td>$ -19011 ( 19011 )</td><td>$ -9926 ( 9926 )</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>ncls</td><td>$ 30741</td><td>$ 19011</td><td>$ 9926</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>net reserve builds ( releases )</td><td>5741</td><td>11297</td><td>6550</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>net specific reserve builds ( releases )</td><td>2278</td><td>3366</td><td>356</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>total provision for credit losses</td><td>$ 38760</td><td>$ 33674</td><td>$ 16832</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>other net ( 2 )</td><td>-1602 ( 1602 )</td><td>-1164 ( 1164 )</td><td>271</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>allowance for loan losses at end of year</td><td>$ 36033</td><td>$ 29616</td><td>$ 16117</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>allowance for credit losses on unfunded lending commitments at beginning of year ( 3 )</td><td>$ 887</td><td>$ 1250</td><td>$ 1100</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>provision for unfunded lending commitments</td><td>244</td><td>-363 ( 363 )</td><td>150</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>allowance for credit losses on unfunded lending commitments at end of year ( 3 )</td><td>$ 1157</td><td>$ 887</td><td>$ 1250</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>total allowance for loans leases and unfunded lending commitments</td><td>$ 37190</td><td>$ 30503</td><td>$ 17367</td></tr></table> ( 1 ) reclassified to conform to the current period 2019s presentation . ( 2 ) 2009 primarily includes reductions to the loan loss reserve of approximately $ 543 million related to securitizations , approximately $ 402 million related to the sale or transfers to held-for-sale of u.s . real estate lending loans , and $ 562 million related to the transfer of the u.k . cards portfolio to held-for-sale . 2008 primarily includes reductions to the loan loss reserve of approximately $ 800 million related to fx translation , $ 102 million related to securitizations , $ 244 million for the sale of the german retail banking operation , $ 156 million for the sale of citicapital , partially offset by additions of $ 106 million related to the cuscatl e1n and bank of overseas chinese acquisitions . 2007 primarily includes reductions to the loan loss reserve of $ 475 million related to securitizations and transfers to loans held-for-sale , and reductions of $ 83 million related to the transfer of the u.k . citifinancial portfolio to held-for-sale , offset by additions of $ 610 million related to the acquisitions of egg , nikko cordial , grupo cuscatl e1n and grupo financiero uno . ( 3 ) represents additional credit loss reserves for unfunded corporate lending commitments and letters of credit recorded in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. .
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Question: what was the difference in the allowance for loan losses between 2008-09?
Answer: