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FRB: Press Release -- Regulatory agencies release data on syndicated bank loans -- October 10, 2000

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2000

Bank Regulators' Data Show Continued Increase in Adversely Classified Syndicated
Bank Loans
WASHINGTON _ Syndicated bank loans adversely classified by examiners increased in
2000 for the second consecutive year, according to data released today by three federal bank
regulatory agencies.
The agencies -- the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation -- released
aggregate data for the past six years and data by major industry sector for the past three
years.
Under the Shared National Credit (SNC) Program, the agencies review large syndicated
loans annually, usually in May and June. The program, established in 1977, is designed to
provide an efficient and consistent review and classification of any loan or loan commitment
shared by three or more supervised institutions and totaling $20 million or more.
In 2000, the SNC Program covered 9,848 credits to 5,844 borrowers totaling nearly $2
trillion in drawn and undrawn loan commitments. Of the total, $63 billion, or 3.3 percent,
was classified adversely because of default or other significant credit concerns. That was up
from 2.0 percent in 1999 and 1.3 percent in 1998, the lowest level of the decade. Classified
loans remain low relative to the peak of 10 percent of total commitments experienced in
1991.
Borrowers have drawn down about a third of the $1.95 trillion in loan commitments, or
$701 billion. Of this amount, $56 billion, or 8 percent, was classified adversely, up from 5.3
percent in 1999 but down from the peak of 18 percent in 1991.
The percentage of adversely classified credits rose in 2000 for several major industry
sectors. Problem loans in the health care services sector continued to increase after the
significant deterioration in 1999, and health care remains the industry with the highest
relative concentration of classified SNC loans. Several traditional manufacturing industries
also experienced a significant increase in problem credits and some industries were heavily
influenced by problems encountered by leveraged borrowers that had expanded operations
aggressively through acquisitions in recent years.
In addition, credits listed as "special mention" by examiners because of potential weakness - a less serious category than the three adverse classifications: substandard, doubtful, and
https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/general/2000/20001010/default.htm

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7/26/24, 1:50 PM

FRB: Press Release -- Regulatory agencies release data on syndicated bank loans -- October 10, 2000

loss -- totaled $36.3 billion in 2000, up from $31.4 billion in 1999. Special mention loans
rose to 1.9 percent of total loan commitments, from 1.7 percent in 1999.
U.S. banking organizations hold approximately one-half of the value of loans in the Shared
National Credit Program. Foreign banks hold just over 40 percent, and nonbank and
nonfinancial companies and investment funds hold the rest.
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Media Contacts:
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FDIC:
OCC:

Dave Skidmore
David Barr
Sam Eskenazi

(202) 452-2955
(202) 898-6992
(202) 874-5513

2000 Banking and consumer regulatory policy
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