EBA stress test to spotlight asset quality at Spain’s banks

Figures from S&P Global Market Intelligence show that, among the largest Spanish lenders, capital has generally strengthened in recent years, and nonperforming loans declined significantly. The Spanish banking system reached a common equity Tier 1 ratio of 12.5% in 2015, up from 11.6% in 2014. Problem loans as a percentage of gross customer loans declined to 7.6% in 2015, down from a peak of 12.9% in 2013, and there is a clear trend of total NPLs falling at most large banks since 2013.

But profitability and returns are under pressure from muted loan demand, low interest rates and increasing competition. Banco Santander SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA posted net interest margins of 2.48% and 2.39%, respectively, for the first quarter, but the purely domestic Spanish banks are achieving less impressive figures of between 1% and 2%. CaixaBank SA, Bankia SA and Banco Popular Español SA reported figures of 1.36%, 1.21% and 1.58%. Bernat said he expected this to persist, and the net interest margin in Spain to decline, resulting in returns of between 7% and 9% for the international banks and about 5% for the domestic banks.

Further, the resilience of asset quality and capital in a downturn will be challenged by the European Banking Authority’s stress test, the results of which are due to be released on July 29. The picture for foreclosed real estate is murky; the total has ticked up at Santander, BBVA, CaixaBank and Popular since 2013. And Texas ratios remain high — at several major lenders including Banco de Sabadell SA, which, along with those banks mentioned above, will also be stress-tested, NPLs still represented more than 100% of common equity plus reserves in 2015.