They may continue to rise in the coming months, although to a lesser extent than in previous crises. This is indicated by an average increase in the amount of loan loss provisions on performing loans of almost one third, which reflects the deterioration of credit risk; this rise is accompanied, however, by considerable differences in the ways banks classify and value loans.
When these differences cannot be justified by a careful analysis of the credit rating of individual positions, they will have to be smoothed in the next few months; all banks should accordingly adopt prudent policies.