Bank loans to household consumers for the first six months decreased significantly.

This was due to a reduction in the maximum size of consumer credit and margins on average loan.

According to the Bank of Ghana, loans and advances from the banking industry increased by 22.9 percent at the end of June compared with 31.7 percent during the same period last year.

The Commerce and Finance, Services and the Manufacturing sectors accounted for 64.1 percent of the non-performing loans at the end of June this year.

Commerce and Finance alone constituted more than one third of the total bad debts of the banking industry.

According to the Central Bank’s Financial Stability Report, Electricity, Gas and Water, Services, Transport and Communication as well as Miscellaneous had NPLs’ below the industry average.

The industry’s average stood at 12.8 percent as at June