Central Bank quits imposing "stress test" rules

Romania’s Central Bank, BNR, will give up its suggestion to introduce „stress test” analysis for natural persons demanding credits from banks. According to a set of rules suggested by BNR a short while ago, banks could have been forced to discuss with their clients the „worst case scenario”. Instead, risk scenarios will be applied for all popular credits portfolio.

Sources say that the stress test may be replaced by adjusting the debt degree (the percentage of all income that goes to bank payments) according to several risks, including the currency risk. Thus, although many banks have approved a 70% limit of rates being paid out of the total income, the report may be significantly diminished for credits in other currencies than the national one, and mainly for exotic currencies.