Non-performing loan

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reiterated on Thursday that coordinated steps must be undertaken to expedite the reduction of nonperforming loans (NPLs) held by Greek banks.

Greece's creditors have long cited NPLs as a major vulnerability of the Greek economy.  

Deputy Prime Minister Yiannis Dragasakis warned on Wednesday in Parliament of the possibility that local banks may require a fresh capital injection that the Greek taxpayers could once again have to cover.

In doing so, he started to prepare citizens for the consequences of the upcoming plans for tackling nonperforming loans.

Prophecies will not put the Greek economy on the much-touted path to recovery. One of the most recent examples of this is the significance attributed to a rather pointless comment by the country's deputy prime minister on the subject of nonperforming loans.

Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras on Tuesday called for a new policy mix that would boost growth and increase the credibility of the Greek economy among investors.

The government is facing a difficult task in trying to overcome the resistance of banks on two key issues that would accelerate the reduction of nonperforming loans, which currently stand at some 80 billion euros.

The Finance Ministry is putting off the issue of a five-year bond, which is all set in technical terms, until the domestic political dust settles and the effort to reduce the credit sector's bad-loan stock results in a breakthrough.

One of the biggest surveying service suppliers and nonperforming loan management companies, Italian group Cerved, is entering the Greek market after obtaining the necessary licenses for managing NPLs from the Bank of Greece and acquiring Eurobank's subsidiary, Eurobank Property Services (EPS).

Greek banks are set to suffer extra pressure in the coming days, including on their stock prices, after the European Central Bank issued strict guidelines for the reduction of their nonperforming exposures portfolios or their coverage with provisions.

The state of the credit sector is probably the biggest challenge facing the Greek economy in 2019, with analysts stressing that finding a swift and credible solution for clearing bank portfolios of nonperforming loans is essential to an economic recovery.

Greek banks are examining various scenarios for ridding themselves of more nonperforming loans and reducing their staff, in an effort to meet commitments for a rapid streamlining of financial figures and cost reduction.