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In graphs: The grim story of India's bad loans

March 10, 2017 08:38 IST

According to the RBI's Financial Stability Report, the industry's gross bad loans are at a 14-year high.
As the RBI's March 2017 deadline for banks to clean up soured credit looms closer, Shailajanand Mishra takes stock of just how bad the situation is.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com
Graphs design: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com

Bad Loans

The deadline for the Reserve Bank of India's asset quality review (AQR) is almost upon the banks, but according to the central bank's Financial Stability Report, bad loans at Indian banks are at a distressing high.

'The gross non-performing advances (GNPAs) ratio of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) increased to 9.1 per cent from 7.8 per cent between March and September 2016,' the report reveals, 'pushing the overall stressed advances ratio to 12.3 per cent from 11.5 per cent.'

Bloomberg Quint pegs this as a 14 year high: 'That's the highest since the year ended March 2002.'

The RBI report says the Banking Stability Indicator (BSI) 'shows that the risks to the banking sector remained elevated due to continuous deterioration in asset quality, low profitability and liquidity.'

'The asset quality of large borrowers deteriorated significantly,' the report discovered.

It registered that the share of special mention accounts (SMAs) -- a category created for early detection of problematic borrowers -- increased across bank groups.

To add to that, 'The share of large borrowers' in SCBs' total loan portfolio declined between March and September 2016, whereas, their share in GNPAs increased during the same period.'

The BSI, it added, 'shows that the risks to the banking sector remained elevated since the publication of the last FSR.'

Under a 'macro stress test,' the report pointed out, the GNPA ratio may rise even more by March 2017, the RBI's AQR deadline.

Earlier, the International Monetary Fund's Global Financial Stability report also indicated the same problem.

'Banking systems are vulnerable to further declines in growth or profits, particularly in countries at later stages of the credit cycle (such as India), where slowing credit growth and risks from elevated levels of non-performing loans are most acute,' the IMF said.

Here's how India's grim story of NPAs looks"

 Source: IMF and Credit Suisse

Source: RBI

 Source: RBI

Source: Capitaline Plus
Gross NPAs OF Public and Private Sector Banks during June 30, 2016
S No.BankTotal Advances (Rs in crore)Gross NPA (Rs in crore)NPA Ratio (%)
1 Allahabad Bank 145,328 18,769 12.92
2 Andhra Bank 137,228 14,137 10.3
3 Bank of Baroda 269,115 35,604 13.23
4 Bank of India 274,391 43,935 16.01
5 Bank of Maharashtra 103,148 13,040 12.64
6 Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd. 627 3 0.4
7 Canara Bank 311,615 30,480 9.78
8 Central Bank of India 185,719 25,107 13.52
9 Corporation Bank 142,787 15,726 11.01
10 Dena Bank 81,114 9,636 11.88

Source: RBI, Parliament

Shailajanand Mishra