NPL&REO News

Moody’s upgrades Greece to investment grade on strong fiscal recovery and stability

Global ratings agency Moody’s has upgraded Greece’s rating to “Baa3” from “Ba1”, citing quicker-than-expected improvement in public finances and the country’s greater resilience to potential future shocks.

“Based on the government’s policy stance, institutional improvements that are bearing fruit, and a stable political environment, we expect Greece to continue to run substantial primary surpluses, which will steadily decrease its high debt burden,” Moody’s said in a statement.

Since 2020, the nation’s debt – the highest in the eurozone – has shrunk by more than 40 percentage points, reaching 154% of its gross domestic product in 2024, and is projected to drop further by the end of this year.

Greek banks are steadying and returning to profit after being nationalized following the 2009 financial meltdown caused by the country’s debt crisis, which put them in a vulnerable position, requiring several capital injections from the government.

Last week, Morningstar DBRS upgraded Greece’s credit rating to “BBB” from “BBB low”, two notches above the investment grade, citing a healthier banking sector and the continued reduction in the country’s general government debt ratio.

The agency also revised Greece’s outlook to “stable” from “positive”, reflecting a balance between persistent credit challenges that are slow to improve and the country’s institutional stability, which supports positive prospects.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a post on the social media: “Moody’s upgrade of Greece to Baa3 marks the final step in restoring our investment grade by all major rating agencies, highlighting Greece’s significant progress. We remain fully committed to reforms that attract investment, create jobs, and drive sustainable growth.”

Original Story: Ekathimerini
Photo: Moody’s
Edition: Prime Yield

Old Lisbon river view

Banks to sell EUR 300 million NPL portfolios

In the first quarter of the year, the sale of impaired banking assets is in full swing. At present, assets totalling around €300 million, including nonperforming loans (NPL) and real estate used as collateral, are on the market. This figure is the sum of BCP’s €80 million in NPL, BPI’s €99.8 million in NPL  (part of which is secured by real estate) and the  Zip Project’s 670properties put up for sale by Quest Capital, led by Carlos Vasconcellos Cruz, which manages the portfolio, with an initial valuation of €120 million.

Four parties interested in BCP’s Bright portfolioBCP has four funds interested in its NPL portfolio known as ‘Project Bright’.
The portfolio is worth €80 million and consists of ‘unsecured’ loans, i.e. without any real guarantees. This means that the operations are usually carried out at a large discount.

According to Jornal Económico, there are four binding bids for BCP’s NPL portfolio. In the running are the LX Partners and Balbec consortium, EOS Partners, Hoist Capital and LC Partners.

For its part, BPI has just launched ‘Project Zinc’ with 99.8 million in NPLs (which includes guaranteed real estate in part of the portfolio), of which 22.4 million are guaranteed.

Original Story: Jornal Económico | Author: Maria Teixeira Alves
Edition and translation: Prime Yield

NPL ratio falls for fourth consecutive year to end 2024 at 3.32%, lowest level since 2008

The Spanish banks’ non-performing loan (NPL) ratio stood at 3.32% at the end of December, the lowest level since November 2008 when it was 3.21%, according to preliminary data published by the Bank of Spain.

This is the fourth consecutive monthly fall: compared with November, it fell by six basis points, while compared with December 20-23, it fell by 22 basis points.

In terms of the volume of NPL, it fell to EUR 39,358 million in December, EUR 939 million less than in the previous month. Compared to December 2023, the reduction is  EUR 2,510 million.

In addition, the total stock of loans has also decreased: at the end of December the ‘stock’ stood at EUR 1.18 trillion, a decrease of around EUR 7,414 million compared with November. On the other hand, compared with December 2023, the volume of bank loans increased by EUR 4 025 million.

The data broken down by type of institution show that the ratio of doubtful assets of all deposit-taking institutions (banks, savings banks and cooperative societies) closed December at 3.24%, two basis points lower than in November and 20 points lower than in the same month of 2023.

For the twelfth month, the portfolio of doubtful assets of this type of institution decreased by EUR 612 million to EUR 36,599 million. Compared with December 2023, this figure is around EUR 2,169 million lower. For their part, financial institutions saw their NPL ratio fall to 5.65% in December, more than one percentage point lower than in November. Compared with December 2023, it fell by 68 basis points.

In absolute terms, the volume of doubtful loans of this type of institution was EUR 2,565 million at the end of December, EUR 344 million less than in November. Compared to the same month of the previous year, the doubtful balance was reduced by EUR 346 million.

According to the Bank of Spain, provisions for all credit institutions stood at EUR 28,902 million in November, a reduction of EUR 491 million on the previous month. Compared to the previous year, provisions decreased by EUR 968 million.

Original Story: Europa Press
Edition and translation: Prime Yield

Consumer Credit

Default reached 68.76 million consumers in February, according to CNDL/SPC Brasil

The Default Indicator carried out by the national confederation of retailers (CNDL) and the credit protection service (SPC Brasil) shows that four out of ten adult Brazilians (41.5%) were in default in February 2025, representing 68.76 million consumers. Compared to February 2024, the percentage of defaulters in Brazil increased by 3.2 % in February 2025. From January to February, the number of debtors decreased by -0.04%.

Based on the data available in their database, which includes information from the capitals and interior of all 26 states and the Federal District, CNDL and SPC Brasil note that the annual variation observed in February this year was higher than that of the previous month.

From a regional point of view, the highest percentage of defaulters is found in the Centre-West region, where 45.2% of the adult population is registered as debtors. On the other hand, in the South, the proportion of people in debt is 37.1% of the adult population.

Original Story: CNDL website
Translation & Edition: Prime Yield

Law on sale of NPL faces new delay due to political crisis

The process of transposing the European directive to regulate the sale of non-performing loans, including mortgages and consumer loans in default, continues to be delayed. The bill, which reached Parliament last week, was sent directly to the Committee on Budget, Finance and Public Administration (COFAP), but no date has been set for its discussion.

Parliament’s attention is currently focused on the motion of confidence in the government, which will be debated and voted on this Tuesday and which, given the opposition expressed by several parties, could lead to the fall of the executive and the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic. If this scenario materialises, the regime for the sale of bad or non-performing loans (NPLs), which should have been implemented by 29 December 2023, will remain suspended, leaving consumers without adequate legal protection, warns Público.

Delays in implementation have already led the European Union to take Portugal, along with other member states, to the European Court of Justice.

Original story: Executive Digest | Author: Pedro Zagacho Gonçalves
Edition and translation: Prime Yield

Consumer Credit

NPL ratio of credit institutions fall below 6% in December, returning to pre-crisis levels

The ratio of doubtful assets of financial credit institutions (EFCs), which specialise in consumer credit, closed below 6% in 2024, returning to pre-crisis lows, according to preliminary data published by the Bank of Spain.

Specifically, SCIs closed with a ratio of 5.65%, the lowest level since January 2020, according to the historical series published by the regulator. Compared with November, the fall is 1.07 percentage points, while compared with December 2024, the reduction is 68 basis points.

In terms of volume, the stock of doubtful assets of SCIs amounted to EUR 2,565 million at the end of December, EUR 344 million less than in November. Compared with the same month last year, the stock of doubtful assets was reduced by EUR 346 million.

The total amount of loans granted by financial institutions at the end of December was EUR 45,369 million, EUR 2,086 million more than in November. Compared with the same month in 2023, however, the volume of loans fell by EUR 601 million.

Lastly, the provisions of the SCIs to cover the doubtful balance stood at  EUR 1,776 million in December, EUR 83 million less than in the previous month and EUR 57 million less than the reserves in December 2023.

Original Story: Europa Press
Edition and translation: Prime Yield

NPL sales market to reach nearly R$30 billion by 2024, according to Recovery

The sector has seen an increase in the number of cedants, as well as a change in the profile of these companies, with an increase in the participation of cooperatives and retailers.

Recovery, an Itaú Group company and leader in the purchase and management of non-performing loans (NPL) in Brazil, has just published its balance sheet for 2024. According to the company’s research, the market for the sale of non-performing portfolios during this period will total 28 billion reais.

One of the main changes is the diversification of the profile of companies accessing the NPL market to negotiate their debt portfolios. In 2019, the volume of delinquent portfolios transacted in this market involved only 16 originators. At that time, the majority of the volume ceded (84%) was concentrated in transactions conducted by three large banks. However, by 2024, 45 companies were involved in the Brazilian NPL market, and the percentage of transactions carried out by large banks fell to 37%, in parallel with the entry of other segments, such as digital banks and cooperatives, as well as retailers, which increased their participation in the sale of debt portfolios.

Brazil has made significant progress in the NPL market over the past five years, and it is clear that companies’ understanding of the business of selling delinquent debt portfolios has changed significantly. It’s a sector that is raising funds that are being ploughed back into the lending industry, providing liquidity to companies and facilitating the process for debtors to clear their names and increase their chances of regaining credit. Negotiating delinquent portfolios is like oil in the machinery of credit, because the creditor who has a parked portfolio gets the opportunity to generate funds to invest in his own business,’ points out Plínio Ribeiro, head of commercial and portfolio acquisition at Recovery.

Change in the profile of lenders

In addition to the volume traded, the number of lenders has also increased. Five years ago, only four institutions, including financial institutions, cooperatives and digital banks, traded their credit assets in the sector. By 2024, that number had risen to 37.

‘We’d like to make a special mention of the cooperatives. Although it may seem modest when you look at the credit stock of co-operatives, this represents a very big leap. It’s a market with the potential to grow much more by 2025, because the wheels are starting to turn in this segment. Co-operatives are more inclined and open to this market, they have learnt to grant loans and have felt the benefits of these operations,’ says Plinio from Recovery.

In addition, the retail segment increased its share in 2024, reaching 26%, compared to 5% in 2019. In 2019, there were only nine retail companies in this sector; in 2024, there are 40. This wide diversification of the originators of delinquent portfolios is also reflected in a reconfiguration of the type of loans negotiated. This is the case, for example, of portfolios secured by vehicles, which reach almost 1 billion in 2020 and more than 4 billion in 2024.

Another change in the default portfolio sales sector relates to the average maturity of assigned portfolios. In 2019, they were on average 4 years old. In 2024, newer portfolios will be negotiated, with an average of 2.5 years.

For the executive, the macroeconomic scenario in 2025 and 2026 promises greater progress in the trading of credit assets in the country. With the increase in the Selic rate and the rise in inflation, companies and consumers are expected to be more indebted, creating a favourable scenario for the growth of the NPL market. In this more challenging environment, the willingness to sell defaulted portfolios tends to grow and mature. On the creditors’ side, it will be an opportunity to bring short-term funding to their respective operations and maintain their credit concession,” he concludes.

Original Story: Fusões e Aquisições | Author: Recovery PR
Edition and translation: Prime Yield

Bill to regulate the buying and selling of bad debts approved

The Council of Ministers approved the Credit Purchasers Act, which transposes the European Directive on the same subject and amends the Consumer Credit Contracts Act and the Real Estate Credit Contracts Act. The aim is to regulate the market for the purchase and sale of non-performing loans and to introduce certain obligations for mortgage and consumer credit borrowers.

Specifically, the bill regulates the purchase and sale of non-performing loans (NPL) granted by credit institutions and financial credit institutions, establishing common rules with the rest of the European Union.

The next step, once approved by the government, will be to send it to the Congress of Deputies for parliamentary processing.

Firstly, it regulates the activity of doubtful credit management, which consists of the collection or renegotiation of this type of credit, which becomes a reserved activity and requires prior authorisation from the Bank of Spain. In order to obtain this authorisation, the law establishes the need to have an “adequate” internal credit management system and a policy that “guarantees the protection and fair treatment of borrowers”.

It also regulates the purchase and sale of NPL, ensuring that the conditions and rights of borrowers are maintained and transferring to the purchaser of the loans the obligations of transparency, protection and information, including compliance with the codes of good practice to which the original creditor has subscribed.

The draft regulation sets out additional safeguards for the protection of borrowers, requiring both purchasers and servicers to provide “fair treatment and adequate information”, as well as an “adequate” borrower assistance and out-of-court redress service.

In order to ensure compliance with these obligations, the Banco de España will supervise the administrators, as well as the compliance of credit purchasers with these obligations, and will establish the corresponding system of infringements and sanctions.

Real estate and consumer credit

The sectoral regulations on consumer credit and real estate credit will also be amended to introduce the obligation for creditors to have a debt renegotiation policy. This means that creditors will have to offer their customers measures aimed at reaching renegotiation agreements before taking legal action or demanding full payment of the debt.

The regulation establishes special conditions for non-mortgage debtors in a situation of economic vulnerability who are recipients of the minimum subsistence income. In these cases, the lender who sells the doubtful loan to a third party must offer the borrower a payment plan in order to “protect the most indebted groups without undermining the payment culture”.

The Consumer Credit Law also introduces a limit on the amount of default interest that can be charged in the event of non-payment by the consumer, setting it at a maximum of the sum of ordinary interest plus three percentage points.

In addition, charges for the recovery of overdue amounts must be in line with the costs actually borne by the creditor and, in any event, after prior notification to the consumer, indicating the outstanding amount, the time available to settle the situation and the amount to be paid if the situation is not settled.

The cases of modification of the interest rate in contracts of indefinite duration (as in the case of revolving cards) are defined, allowing the customer not to accept the increases or to cancel the contract, in which case the customer may repay the outstanding debt in accordance with the repayment conditions and the interest rate in force at the time of the notification, at no additional cost to the borrower.

Finally, it clarifies the conditions of compensation for early repayment in the case of financing linked to the purchase of goods or services.

Original Story: MSN News Author: Europa Press
Edition and translation: Prime Yield

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