The FINNACIAL — Bad debts held by Spanish banks rose to an 18-year high in April, data released Monday by the country's central bank showed, a sign that more companies and households in the euro zone's fourth-largest economy fell behind on debt payments amid a double-dip recession.
According to the central bank data, 8.72% of the loans held by banks–or 152.74 billion euros ($193 billion)–were more than three months overdue for repayment in April, up from 8.37% in March. This was the highest ratio since April 1994 and just slightly below the all-time high hit in February that year, when non-performing loans soared to 9.15% of the total.
According to Borsa Italiana – London Stock Exchange Group, the overall amount of non-performing loans is now almost 10 times higher than the level reported in 2007, just as Spain's decade-high property boom peaked, before the ongoing property slump started in early 2008.
Spanish banks currently have EUR1.75 trillion worth of loans in their books, almost the same amount as in 2007 despite a long and painful deleveraging process in recent years. That accounts for around 175% of Spain's gross domestic product.
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