In July, the European Central Bank confirmed the downward trend of the non-performing loan ratio (NPL – Non-Performing Loans) in the first quarter of 2022, standing at 1.95%, the lowest level since 2015, with Greece leading the list by country with a ratio of 6.75% and Lithuania closing with 0.72%.

In the case of Spain, the NPL ratio of all credit institutions decreased slightly compared to the previous quarter, standing at 2.84%, with 2.95% of the most significant institutions and a constant ratio of 2% of the least significant.

This downward trend could lower the overall volume of NPL exit operations from entities’ balance sheets, either through portfolio sales or securitization, but the reality is that after a brief pause in 2020 due to the pandemic, the volume of operations has grown throughout 2021-2022, and the forecasts point to a significant increase in operations as a result of the rise in interest rates, and a more than likely rebound in non-performing loans according to estimates issued by Banco de España.

A review of Directive (EU) 2021/2167 on administrators and credit buyers

The European Central Bank has focused on this scenario marked by large holders of NPL assets, financial entities, credit buyers – mainly funds, and servicers focused on debt recovery, and is working to implement an “action plan” included in Directive (EU) 2021/2167 to continue dealing with the high number of non-performing loans in the Union and prevent their possible future accumulation according to four areas: (i) banking supervision and regulation, (ii) reform of restructuring frameworks , insolvency and debt recovery, (iii) development of secondary markets for undervalued assets, and (iv) promotion of the restructuring of the banking system.

The directive outlines the general lines of action and leaves the effective implementation of measures in the hands of the competent authority of each EU member state, in Spain most likely the BdE, and highlights the specification of aspects of information standardization, in particular , ABE technical standards that must specify the templates to be used by credit institutions for the transmission of detailed information – NPL Data templates.

The experience acquired as a result of more than 15 portfolio sales operations provides our platform (PMaP) with a management model clearly oriented to the general aspects included in the EU directive, and represents a clear advance in the management of datatapes, and exchange templates waiting to incorporate the detailed definition set by the ABE.

Check the features of our PMaP platform or see also our real estate asset management projects