DBRS Morningstar says banks will absorb additional NPE disposals
A few days after upgrading the outlook of the Greek credit sector from stable to positive, DBRS Morningstar said in a commentary on Tuesday it believes that recent subordinated debt issuance and capital actions should enable the banks to absorb the impact of additional nonperforming exposure (NPE) disposals.
Nevertheless, the global credit rating agency considers external factors such as investor appetite and the macroeconomic environment to be key to the banks’ success. It noted that the Greek banks combined reduced their NPE stock by 50% year-on-year on a pro forma basis as of end-2020 and have announced further NPE disposal plans.
Strengthened capital bases through restored and ongoing access to the subordinated debt capital markets along with capital actions should enable the banks to absorb the impact of the newly announced NPE disposal plans, DBRS Morningstar said, adding that continuous investor demand and the pace of the economic recovery, which will likely dictate the performance of the loans that have been granted payment holidays, will be crucial for the banks to achieve their targets.
“Following significant NPE reduction in a challenging year and recent announcements for further de-risking, we consider that strengthened capital bases should enable the Greek banks to absorb the impact of the additional NPE disposals. The economic recovery along with the level of investor demand will be key in the banks’ meeting their targets.” the rating agency commented.
