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Credit losses set to triple

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  • April 07 2020
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Borrow

Credit losses set to triple

By
April 07 2020

The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a material rise in defaults on mortgages in Australia, a rating agency has said.

Credit losses set to triple

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By
  • April 07 2020
  • Share

The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a material rise in defaults on mortgages in Australia, a rating agency has said.

Credit losses set to triple

According to a “Scenario and Sensitivity” analysis from S&P Global Ratings, credit losses across Australia’s banks are set to “more than triple” in the 2020 calendar year in response to the economic fallout from the COVID-10 pandemic.

S&P’s base case is for credit losses across Australia’s banks to rise from 0.14 per cent in 2019 to 0.5 per cent in 2020.

“A contracting economy in the short term, rising unemployment and depressed consumer and business sentiment in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak would drive an increase in credit losses for Australian banks,” S&P noted.

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According to the rating agency, business loans would contribute to most of the increase in credit losses for Australian banks, with the tourism, transportation and retail services sectors likely to be severely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Credit losses set to triple

S&P Global Ratings agency believes households will also feel some pain, stating that it expects defaults from households to rise due to income loss.  

The federal government and the Reserve Bank of Australia have concentrated most of their efforts to kickstart the economy on the business sector, providing low-cost credit and cash flow support to affected businesses.

Banks have also rolled out loan relief packages for both businesses and mortgage customers, which include options to freeze repayments for up to six months.

Despite forecasting a material increase in credit losses over the medium term, S&P said it expects defaults to the banks to “remain broadly in line” with its expected long-term average, with the ratings agency forecasting a “strong rebound” in the Australian economy at the back end of 2020.

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About the author

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Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

About the author

author image

Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

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