• loan lent by banks or FI whose principal and interest are delayed beyond 90 days
  • ceases to provide a return to its investors for an extended period

Categorization of loans before they become NPA - Special Mention Accounts

SMA 0SMA 1SMA 2
Principal & interest not paid for 1-30 daysPrincipal & interest not paid for 31-60 daysPrincipal & interest not paid for 61-10 days loan becomes NPA

Classification of NPA

ClassificationConditions
Sub Standard AssetsNPA for 12 months
Doubtful AssetsNPO for 12 months
Loss Making AssetsBanks/auditors have identified loss but loss has not been written off

Loan Waiver vs Loan Write Off

Loan WaiverLoan Write Off
banks do not expect payback of loans extendedlenders write off loans to clean up balance sheet
govt promises to pay on behalf of borrowerbanks may pursue other means to get back loan + interest
banks must return collateral to borrowerscollateral can be auctioned off

Impacts

  • -ve impact on eco growth.
  • interest rates cost-push inflation
  • Credit lending to small-scale sectors affected
  • Indirect impact on inclusiveness

Steps taken against NPA

Strategic Debt Recovery

  • banks temporarily take over mgmt of company and try to convert debt of company to equity
  • banks hope to run functions of company to get back the loan value
  • banks can also sell debt as equity in market
    • but buyers not enthusiastic in buying shares of troubled company

Asset Quality Review

  • recognizing true extent of NPAs
  • 2013: RBI started AQR
    • directed banks to recognize true extent of NPA and come clean on their balance sheets

Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets

  • debt to be classified as sustainable and unsustainable
  • if sustainable debt atleast 50% of debt, this process was to be proceeded with

Bad Banks

  • similar to Asset Reconstruction Company that will take up NPA of other public and private banks
  • purchase bad loans from banks at market rate and try to obtain value out of them

Provisioning

Mathematics

  • Net NPA: actual amount of loans classified as NPA
  • Gross NPA: Net NPA + Provisioning against NPA
    • gross NPA is focused on for policy making
  • banks set aside portion of their capital to safeguard in case loans do not get recovered timely
    • this action is called provisioning
  • provisioning happens as per probability of timely recovery
  • RBI wants banks to go for Expected Credit Loss method
    • banks go for provisioning before the loss has actually been incurred
    • banks postponing it as it reduces the amt available for banks to give loans