Big banks’ bad loans fall in March

BAD loans held by the country’s big banks remained low in March, a positive sign that the country’s financial system remains healthy and stable thanks to banks’ sound credit risk management and prudent lending policies.

Figures released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Friday showed that the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of universal and commercial banks (U/KBs) in March declined to 1.95 percent, down from 2.16 percent a year earlier.