BRI's non-performing loans reach Rp3.72t

JAKARTA (JP): Non-performing loans of the state-owned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) reached Rp 3.72 trillion (US$1.69 billion) or 19.05 percent of its outstanding loans as of April, a senior executive of the bank said.

BRI's president, Djokosantoso Moelyono, said yesterday that the amount of non-performing loans in April was lower than the Rp 4.09 trillion, or 21.8 percent, of outstanding loans recorded as of last December and the Rp 4.67 trillion, or 24.7 percent, recorded as of December 1993.

Non-performing loans recorded as of April comprised of 7.43 percent of lending provided for large-scale borrowers, 4.33 percent for medium-scale companies and another 7.29 percent for small-scale firms.

Speaking at a hearing with the Budgetary Commission of the House of Representatives, Djokosantoso said that total unpaid, or bad debts reached Rp 1.75 trillion, or 8.9 percent, of its outstanding loans as of April.

Bank Indonesia Governor J. Soedradjad Djiwandono told a House hearing last week that the amount of bad loans at state-owned and private commercial banks rose again, to 4.24 percent, as of April, from 3.99 percent, as of last December and 3.88 percent as of September last year.

Total bad debts at the seven state-owned banks reached Rp 7 trillion as of April, of which almost Rp 3 trillion was recorded at Bank Pembangunan Indonesia, he said.

At yesterday's hearing, Djokosantoso said that Rp 904 billion of total bad debts occurred in BRI's small-scale lending segment, Rp 498.1 billion in the medium-scale lending and another Rp 357 billion in the large lending portion.

Its total assets rose slightly to Rp 26.16 trillion as of last December from Rp 25.13 trillion as of December 1993 and Rp 24.93 trillion as of the end of 1992.

Its outstanding loans dropped to Rp 18.81 trillion as of last December from Rp 19.02 trillion as of December 1993. Outstanding loans as of the end of 1992 reached Rp 17.80 trillion.

BRI, which extends more than 60 percent if its total lending to small and medium-scale borrowers, booked a consolidated pre- tax profit of Rp 157.82 billion last year, rising from Rp 107.82 billion in 1993.(hen)