Overview
- The Banco Central reported a slight fall in total credit irregularity to 7.6% in June from 7.7%, while household arrears remained 12.8% and personal loans hit a new record near 16.4%.
- Private analyses using the Central de Deudores put the scale of distress at roughly 5.6–5.9 million borrowers more than 90 days past due and about 3.5 million with arrears over one year (BCRA 'situation 5').
- Banks have moved large numbers of late accounts into 'irrecuperable' categories or off‑balance, a practice that reduces measured irregularity but delays any true recovery from showing in official statistics.
- Non‑bank lenders and fintechs show far higher default rates — roughly 30% overall with some firms above 50% — and younger borrowers account for a disproportionate share of delinquencies.
- Lending costs remain very high, with personal‑loan TNAs in the mid‑60s to 70% range, which banks attribute to taxes, high reserve requirements (encajes), larger provisions for bad debt, and policy uncertainty that tightens credit ahead of the 2027 vote.