ECB "Tightens Its Grip” On Weaker Regional Banks As NPLs Continue To Plague Many Euro Countries

As the European Central Bank “tightens its grip” on weaker regional banks, asking that loan standards be shored up, this leaves certain firms at risk. An October 12 report Moody’s notes that bank regulators are attempting to shore up the overall banking system, and this will create a list of winners and losers. The moves come as non-performing loans (NPLs) in the region totaled €865, or 6% of all lending. The problem is six countries where bad debt specifically double-digit NPLs are a particular problem. Barclays, for its part, called European NPLs a “sleeping disease” in 2016 that is starting…