A critical review of non-performing assets in the Indian banking industry

PurposeThe level of non-performing assets (NPAs) best indicates the soundness of the banking sector of a country. The purpose of this study is an effort to look into the contribution of the different banks individually to the NPA in the industry by looking into its growth pattern during the period 2010-2017. Further, the study is made to look into the effect of different groups of banks, namely, State Bank of India (SBI) and its associates, nationalised banks and private sector banks on the banking industry in this regard.Design/methodology/approachThe individual private sector banks, nationalised banks and SBI and its associates have been considered for the purpose of the study. The analysis is based on secondary data collected from the Reserve Bank of India website for the period 2010-2017. The geometric mean has been used as a statistical tool for arriving at the mean growth rate of gross NPAs. Further, refinement of the result is done by comparing the growth of gross NPAs of individual banks with that of the average growth rate.FindingsThe assessment of private sector banks reveals that the growth rate of NPAs is low as compared to the nationalised banks, as well as the SBI and its associates. The nationalised banks and the associate banks of SBI failed to handle the issue of poor loans effectively due to which the growth in such loans has been phenomenally high.Originality/valueThe research is interesting as the study period follows the financial crisis. There is no such previous study that has looked at the perspective of banking from this angle. The research is valuable from two angles. Firstly, it brings to light the situation of the different categories of banks with regard to NPAs. Secondly, the information can be useful for investors as the issue of poor loans is a relevant one for them because it has an impact on the profitability of banks and thereby the future prospects.