Northern and central Romania see highest rate of overdue loans

The population and companies in counties in northern and central Romania recorded the highest ratio of past due loans to the overall volume of credits, with overdue loans exceeding 5%, according to data published by the NBR (National Bank of Romania). Bistrita-Nasaud remains the county with the highest overdue loans/overall loans ratio, as 6.1% of the total loans taken out by companies and individuals are overdue. The value of overdue loans in the county is half a percentage point higher than in June and double the market average. Bistrita-Nasaud is followed by Alba, Olt, Salaj, and Suceava, where overdue loans account for 5.1% and 5.5% of the overall loans respectively. Salaj gradually fell to the fourth position, whereas in April and May it was on the top position in terms of overdue payments. In June it ranked second, with a 5.3% ratio of past due loans. The acceleration in the growth rate of overdue loans comes amid a general decline in economic activity, with the unemployment rate intensifying – 23,600 people lost their jobs in April.