Given the outbreak of covid-19 and the imposition of restrictions on economic activity, between February and June of this year the amount of loans granted by the banking sector reported a 1.2% drop.
Data from the Superintendence of the Financial System (SSF) indicate that between February (the month before the beginning of the health and economic crisis) and June of this year, the credit portfolio contracted by $149 million, from $13.276 million to $13.127 million.
In the countries of the region, more than 8 million people are looking for credit on the Internet. Of this group of consumers, approximately 9% explore options for taking out a student loan.
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A law was published in the Official Journal establishing a moratorium on loans granted by banks, cooperatives and finance companies, both public and private, until December 31, 2020, for natural and legal persons affected by the pandemic.
The law promulgated on July 1 in the Official Journal, states that the benefits of the moratorium will be available to persons whose employment contract has been suspended or terminated, independent workers and traders whose activity has been affected by the health measures applied by covid-19.
Given the political and economic crisis affecting the country since April 2018, a scenario that has combined with the crisis of covid-19, the loan portfolio increased from $5,172 million in March 2018 to $3,404 million at the end of April 2020.
According to figures of the Superintendence of Banks and Other Financial Institutions (Siboif), in the first four months of the year a decrease in the credit portfolio is also reflected, since it went from $3.578 million reported at the closing of 2019 to $3.404 million recorded in April 2020, representing -5% variation for the four-month period in question.
The Executive and the banking sector agreed to extend until December 31st of this year the moratorium on credit payments, a measure that applies to mortgages, personal loans, the agricultural sector, commercial, transportation, auto and credit cards.
The government also reported that in the context of the covid-19 outbreak, President Cortizo sanctioned Bill 295 which adopts special social measures for the temporary suspension of payment of public services such as electricity, fixed and mobile telephony and Internet.
In response to the country's health crisis, 15 banks have granted a 90-day extension for their customers to make their personal credit card, home mortgage, vehicle and personal loans.
Until March 31st, the financial institutions that confirmed that had granted the extension to their clients are BAC Credomatic, Banco General, Banistmo, Banco Nacional, Global Bank, Multibank, St.
As of November 2019 the credit portfolio of banks in the national system totaled $55.723 million, 2% more than reported in the same month of 2018, increase that is explained by loans to the livestock sector, mortgage and personal.
Domestic credit to the private sector reflects an increase of 2.5% over similar period last year. The sectors that drive domestic credit are associated with personal banking products, reported the Superintendency of Banks of Panama.
At the end of 2019 in Guatemala, the loan portfolio granted to the private sector grew by 5% compared to December 2020; however, this increase was far from the 8.5% predicted at the beginning of last year.
Official figures from the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat) indicate that between December 2018 and the same month in 2019, the private sector loan portfolio increased from $26,262 million to $27,640 million.
Although The Central Bank has been reducing the monetary policy rate to boost the issuance of bank credit, the speed with which the portfolio of loans in national currency grows continues to decrease.
Official data from the country's financial system indicate that by October 2017 the portfolio of loans in local currency grew to 14%, in the same month of 2018 the rate fell to 6% and by the tenth month of 2019 the increase was just 4%.
Between March 2018 and September 2019, the number of loans granted in Nicaragua by the banking sector has been reduced by around 540,000, a drop attributed to the economic crisis the country is going through.
Data from the Superintendence of Banks and Other Financial Institutions (Siboif), say that in March last year, the month before the onset of the crisis, 1.8 million loans were reported, and in September 2019 the figure fell to 1.26 million.
Up to July 2019, the credit portfolio of the banks of the national system totaled $54.328 million, 2% more than what was reported in the same month of 2018, a rise that is explained by mortgage and personal loans.
Total domestic credit increased by 2% compared to the same period in 2018. The sectors driving this higher growth in absolute value are associated with personal banking products, especially in the mortgage (5.2%) and personal loans (5.6%), informed the Superintendency of Banks of Panama.
Up to July 2019, gross loans in the country totaled $12,840 million, 5% more than the amount reported in the same month of 2018.
With respect to the assets of the banking system, data from the Superintendence of the Financial System (SSF) detail that up to July of this year totaled $18.558 million, which represents a $1.016 million increase when compared to the balance of the same month in 2018.
Up to July 2019, the gross portfolio of the financial system totaled $3,966 million, 20% less than in the same month in 2018, partially because of the negative performance of commercial, industrial and personal credit.
During the seventh month of the year in terms of composition, the current loan portfolio represented 88.7% of the gross portfolio, while the portfolio at risk represented 11.3%.
Although the downward adjustments made months ago in the bank reserve and monetary policy rate do not yet appear to have had an effect on the loan portfolio in Costa Rica, banks expect credit to be reactivated soon.
Between March and June 2019, the credit portfolio of banks in the national system decreased from $54.857 million to $54.282 million, explained by the decrease in loans granted to the industrial sector.
Regarding the year on year variation of the credit portfolio, in June was reported a 3% increase over the same month in 2018, derived from the rise of the mortgage and personal loans sectors, informed the Superintendence of Banks of Panama.