Non-performing loans: the impact of the proposed rules on consumers

On the 14^th of March 2018 the EU Commission published its proposals for tackling the problem of non-performing loans (NPL), i.e. the Proposal on a Directive on credit services, credit purchasers and the recovery of collateral.

NPLs are loans on which borrowers are unable to make the scheduled payments for more than 90 days, or those loans that the financial firms assess as being unlikely to be repaid considering other criteria. The financial crisis made the problem of NPL particularly acute, when masses of borrowers (consumers and businesses) were unable to pay their debts. As a result, a large number of NPL piled up on the books of financial firms, tying up their capital and endangering their solvency; and depending on the size and number of firms affected potentially threatening the stability of the entire financial system. Consequently, the initiative for their regulation came under the umbrella of completing the Banking Union. The Proposal is also part of the broader effort to create a Capital Markets Union. 

The proposed Directive aims to tackle NPLs in two ways. First, it seeks to encourage the development of an EU-wide secondary markets for NPLs by establishing a harmonized legal framework for the sale of these products. Secondly, it seeks to increase the efficiency of debt recovery procedures through the availability of a distinct EU-wide common accelerated extrajudicial collateral enforcement procedure (AECE). Although the proposed Directive is not a special consumer protection instrument (it applies to both consumer and business NPL loans) consumer interest are taken into account under both pillars.

Under the first pillar, the Proposal put in place safeguards to protect consumers whose loans are being classed as NPL and are being sold to third parties. These third party buyers may be banks and non-bank institutions, and they may be based in a different Member State from the originator of the loan. This naturally raises concerns. Non-bank institutions, specialized debt collection firms are known for using unfair and harsh practices in collecting debt from consumers. Depending on the Member State, these firms may fall under a less stringent regulatory regime than banks, including looser conduct standards which they must adhere to. It also raises the danger that consumers would be subjected to a foreign legal regime if they decide to challenge the behaviour of the debt collector or if they are being sued. To prevent any harm stemming from these aspects, the Proposal clarifies that consumer protection rules that were applicable to the initial credit agreement, i.e. the agreement that consumers entered into with their banks, will continue to apply irrespective of who buys the loan and irrespective of the legal regime in force in the Member State where the loan is sold to.

The Proposal clarifies that consumer protection rules specially include the rights granted under the Mortgage Credit Directive, the Consumer Credit Directive and the Unfair Contractual Terms Directive. In the same way, all the consumer protection rules in force in the Member State of the consumer continue to apply, including statutory and other mandatory law. The legal framework seems to be understood more broadly than formal rules, including infromal procedures put in place to protect the most vulnerable, the overindebted consumers. In order to create a coherent legal framework, the new rules will ask for an amendment to the Mortgage Credit Directive. Similar to Article 17 of the Consumer Credit Directive, in the event of assignment of the creditor's rights to a third party, the Mortgage Credit Directive will be amended to state that the consumer shall be entitled to plead against the assignee any defence which was available to him/her against the original creditor.

Regarding the second pillar, consumers are protected by consumer contracts being exempted from this special enforcement regime. Consumer debt will have to be enforced by the existing enforcement procedures in Member States.

We can therefore see that the the new rules as they stand in the Proposal are not likely to have a significant effect on consumer welfare, they will neither provide more protection nor will they harm consumers. The level of consumer protection will remain the same as before the Directive: the effect of the Proposal is status quo on consumers. It is a distinct question to what extent the existing, underlying rules protect consumers, and whether this Proposal should complement or supplement the existing legal framework with more substantive intervention.

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An end to high banking transfer charges in the EU?

On 28^th March, the EU Commission put forward a Proposal for a Regulation that will reduce charges for bank transfers in the European Union outside the euro area. This initiative is aiming at making the banking union ever closer, especially in retail banking where there have been fewer actions compared to prudential regulation.

Thanks to Regulation 924/2009 fees for cross-border payments in euros between euro area members have been equalised. However, the situation in non- euro zone EU countries is very different with consumers often paying expensive fees even for the transfer of small amounts of money. As mentioned in the press release for the Proposal, consumers in some instances were called to pay as much as 24 euro charges for the transfer of 10 euros, making it highly detrimental to consumers.

The proposed Regulation amends Regulation 924/2009 and aims at removing this perceived barrier to the single market by extending its scope to non-euro area Member States. It must be noted that the proposed regulation only covers transactions in euros and not in other currencies. Regulation 924/2009 offered the possibility to extend the regulation to other currencies, yet only Sweden has made used of that rule. Therefore, the Commission decided this was the time to introduce this measure as now euro payments are cheaper than they were in the past.

The effect of the Proposal is two-fold, as it harmonises cross-border banking charges as well as improving transparency. According to the Proposal charges for cross-border payments in euros will be the same as charges for national (non-euro) payments. This means that the transfer fees will be significantly lower if not nonexistent. Consumer will not be the only ones to benefit, as also businesses will be able to be more competitive to businesses operating in the euro area.

As for transparency, at present consumers are not able to compare options, especially when paying with a card where they are offered the option to pay either in the local currency or in their home currency. The Proposal tackles this issue by obliging payment service providers to offer the full cost of both options to consumers prior to the initiation of a payment transaction. Furthermore, recognising the constant technological advances in the field, the European Banking Authority (EBA) will develop regulatory technical standards on how payment service providers are to fulfill their transparency obligations as well as being able to place caps on such conversion charges.

The Proposal has been positively received by consumer organisations, as reported in a euractiv article .Indeed this is a positive development for EU consumers and should it be voted in the Parliament as it will have a tangible effect on their everyday transactions making them easier and cheaper and making the banking union ever closer.

EU Commission announces measures for completing the Banking Union

As announced by President Juncker in his State of the Union Address the EU Commission issued a Communication on the measures it will take for the completion of the banking union. The banking union is seen by the Commission as essential for the good functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and its ambitious goal is for the banking union to be completed by 2019. For that purpose, a range of initiatives were announced. This post will focus on the two developments which are more relevant for consumer law which are: the measures on the European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS) and on reducing the level of non-performing loans (NPLs). 

EDIS is a key component for the Banking Union as it will ensure that all depositors in the EU enjoy the same level of protection and the banking system will be more resilient against future crises. Unfortunately, though the Proposal for EDIS was brought in November 2015, the negotiations between the EU Parliament and the Council have been brought to a halt as there is limited political consensus. In order to address the concerns voiced during the negotiations, the EU Commission suggests that EDIS will be introduced more gradually, taking into account the progress made on risk reduction. In the first re-insurance phase, EDIS would provide only liquidity coverage and no loss coverage. Also, the move to the second phase of co-insurance would not be automatic but only when certain conditions, such as the level of Non-Performing Loans, would be satisfied. Furthermore, measures would be taken to enhance cooperation between national deposit guarantee schemes, national authorities, the Single Resolution Board and the European Banking Authority. The Commission is keen to achieve progress in negotiations aiming to adopt the proposal in 2018.

As for Non-Performing Loans (NPLs), while their level has fallen, they continue to present an important systemic risk and the EU Commission takes a holistic approach in tackling the problem of existing NPLs as well as taking steps to ensure they do not build up again in the future. Part of that is regulating Asset Management Companies, developing secondary markets for NPLs and enhancing the protection of secured creditors. Another measure that might prove interesting also for legal scientists is that of increased transparency on NPLs in Europe as more data will be available and comparable, making it possible to examine the NPLs market in different jurisdictions and on an EU level.

The completion of the Banking Union would be a positive development also for EU consumers and hopefully serve to avoid a repetition of the recent financial crisis. Do you think the new measures announced are a step in the right direction? Please share your view in the comments.