BNR made the list of counties where banks have the hardest time recovering their money

The share of problem (non-performing) loans fell to 2.85% in September 2025 in the case of the population, which shows that people are managing their debts well. For companies, however, the situation is much worse, according to the National Bank, in the Stability Report, published on Tuesday evening.

Unfortunately, companies have more problems paying loans. The percentage of non-performing loans rose from 3.8% to 5.1% in a single year.

According to a BNR document consulted by HotNews, Bucharest, Covasna and Mureș are the counties with a rate of non-performing loans below 2%.

At the opposite pole, Tulcea Vaslui and Maramureș are the counties where the money borrowed by the banks has the hardest time returning to the creditors.

The riskiest types of loans for companies

1. Loans with state guarantees – The most problematic

Non-performing loan rate: 9% (very high!)
It grew by 5.1% in one year
The problem: These credits have been granted since 2020 to many companies, without checking very well whether they can return them

2. Loans for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises)

Rate of non-performing loans: 6.1%
Large companies do better: just 3.2%

3. Loans for commercial real estate

Non-performing loans rate: 5.7%
Banks have lent heavily in this area (51% of all corporate loans)

4. Consumer loans for individuals

Rate of non-performing loans: 4.7%
Mortgage loans are much safer: only 1.5%

What to expect for the future (next 12 months)

For companies: The situation will worsen slightly – the probability of non-payment will increase from 3.2% to 4%

For individuals: Consumer loans: small deterioration (from 2.9% to 3.2%). Home loans: remain stable at 0.2% (very safe!)

Other problems: Non-bank debts (arrears to utilities, suppliers, etc.) increased by 3.2%, reaching 44 billion lei. Growth comes mostly from companies, not individuals

The link between banks and the real estate market remains strong – 62% of loans are secured by real estate, which can be a risk if property prices fall significantly.