




































Australian Finance & Banking Review 

 Vol. 4, No. 2; 2020  

                                                                               ISSN 2576-1196   E-ISSN 2576-120X 

           Published by CRIBFB, USA 

 

1 

LOAN MORATORIUM 2020- ITS IMPACT ON INDIAN BANKS 
 

 

Dr. Meera Mehta 

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Commerce 

SBS College, Delhi University, India 

E-mail: meeramehta17@gmail.com 

 

Rishab Kaul 

Student, School of Electronics Engineering 

Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India 

E-mail: rishabkaul2012@gmail.com 

 

 

ABSTRACT 

Moratoriums area period of temporary suspension of an activity or law till a decision to lift the 

suspension is made, as in the case of the issues that led to the moratorium are resolved. 

Moratoriums may be imposed by regulators, by a business, or by the government. A moratorium 

is often ordered in response to situations of crisis. Moratoriums are not new to the Indian 

banking sector and have been granted and imposed in multiple instances in the last 20 years. 

Since 1999 moratoriums have been imposed on 9 banks for various reasons. Recently, a six-

month moratorium was offered by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) between March 1, 2020, and 

August 31, 2020, on all loan equated monthly instalments, to help lessen the troubles faced by 

the borrowers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to study the recently granted 

moratorium by the RBI to assess and predict its impact on the banking sector. The study will also 

reflect on similar instances of moratoriums that have been granted in the United States, Greece, 

and Thailand in the last 20 years. 

 

Keywords: Moratorium, Suspension, RBI, Borrowers, Pandemic. 

 

JEL Classification Codes: E5, E58, E59 

 

INTRODUCTION 

On 27th March 2020, the RBI announced a moratorium on loans by financial institutions in 

response to the countrywide lockdown declared on 23rd March 2020 which had a triggering 

effect on the financial condition of the people of the country. A moratorium is a temporary 

suspension or deferring of activity until further consideration calls for a lift on the suspension, or 

till the time the issues that led to the moratorium are resolved. Moratoriums may be imposed by 

regulators, by a business, or by the government. A moratorium is often ordered in response to 

situations of crisis. For example, in the aftermath of floods, earthquakes, droughts, disease 

outbreaks, a moratorium may be granted on some financial activities by the central bank or the 

government. A moratorium period is a time during a loan term when the borrower does not need 

to make any payments towards the loan. A Moratorium is only a deferment of payment and is 

different from a waiver. 

 



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Moratoriums are not new to the Indian banking sector and have been granted in multiple 

instances in the last 20 years. Since 1999, moratoriums have also been imposed on Yes Bank, 

Global Trust Bank, United Western Bank Ltd., Sikkim Bank Ltd., Bareilly Corporation Bank 

Ltd., South Gujarat Local Area Bank Ltd., Benares State Bank Ltd., Nedungadi Bank, and 

Ganesh Bank of Kurundwad Ltd. for numerous reasons. 

The focus of this paper is the six-month moratorium offered by the Reserve Bank of India 

(RBI) between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2020, on all loan equated monthly instalments 

(EMIs) to help lessen the troubles faced by borrowers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For this 

purpose, all co-operative banks, commercial banks, All-India Financial Institutions, and NBFCs 

were allowed to grant a moratorium of three months for all term loans on payment of all the 

instalments that fell between the period. The period was however extended by three additional 

months, up to August 31, 2020. 

 

Objectives 

This paper focuses on assessing and predicting the impact of the past and recent (moratorium 

2020) RBI moratorium on the banking sector in India, with the objectives:  

● Understanding the 2020 Moratorium announced by RBI 

● Evaluating and predicting the impact of the moratorium on the banking sector in India (in 

terms of NPAs, CRAR, bank credit, and the profitability ratios). 

● Analysing the implications of the Interest on Interest waiver granted and the effects of a 

complete waiver of interest. 

● Understanding the instances of moratoriums around the world, in particular, the USA, 

Greece, and Thailand 

 

LITERATURE SURVEY 

Imai (2016) stated that, technically, the Japanese debt moratorium legislation could have 

mitigated the credit crisis for small and medium-sized businesses, but it became more difficult to 

determine the extent of the financial troubles in small banks. It undermined market discipline and 

encouraged moral hazard problems.  Further, it set up a financial system in which zombie 

companies appear to flourish, much as the strategy of forbearance did in the 1990s. This has also 

contributed to slow productivity growth in Japan. Also, it indicated to financial markets that the 

political pressures to bail out zombie businesses remained strong in Japan. As a result, Japan's 

response to the financial crisis in the form of the Debt moratorium was generally viewed as a 

failure. 

Arito (2017) examined the effect of Japan's debt forbearance policies on small and 

medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as set out by the "Act on Temporary Steps to Promote 

Funding for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises." Using specific Japanese company survey 

results, that had received "financing" (e.g. by deferring repayments) and firms that had received 

"debt forgiveness" (e.g. through reduced interest and/or principal), the paper analysed the 

determinants and effects of debt forbearance. They found that banks prefer debt redemption for 

companies that are more profitable and creditworthy, which was found to be consistent with the 

debt overhang theory. 

Mukherjee, Subramanian, and Tantri (2014) offered proof of both the drawbacks and 

benefits of the debt moratorium under the 2008 Indian Debt Waiver Program. They use data of 

the loan account of agricultural borrowers and exploit the exogenous rainfall fluctuations for 

dividing beneficiaries into non-distressed and distressed borrowers. By alleviating debt-overhang 



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issues, the waiver leads to significant changes in the loan performers of creditors in distress. 

However, in keeping with the moral hazard, the waiver had little bearing on the performance of 

loans by non-distressed creditors but non-distressed borrowers suffered from credit rationing 

after the waiver. Although banks' over-all non-performing assets declined after the waiver, 

agricultural non-performing assets rose. 

Arslanalp and Henry (2005) asserted that as developing countries had announced debt 

reduction negotiations through the Brady Scheme, the stock markets of those countries rose by 

60% on average in real dollars terms which was an increase in shareholder value of $42 billion. 

There was no significant increase in the stock markets of the countries within the group that did 

not sign the agreement. Inflation of the stock market had projected a higher potential flow of 

capital, spending, and development. As the market capitalization of commercial banks in the US 

with exposure to developing-country loans had increased by $13 billion, their findings indicated 

that both lenders and borrowers benefit from debt relief in a situation where the borrowers were 

affected by debt overhang. 

Somasundaram (2020) observed that COVID-19 has had a significant effect on India and 

most of the industries in India. Banks and non-banking financial firms, in particular, have been 

more severely impacted. They play a key role in the development of the Indian economy as most 

of the self-employed people rely on banks or financial institutions to borrow for their business 

growth. The moratorium facility granted to borrowers of banks and non-banking financial 

companies by the Reserve Bank of India came with a set of merits and demerits which has been 

discussed in the paper. 

 

RBI MORATORIUM 2020 

The RBI offered a six-month moratorium between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2020, on all 

loan equated monthly instalments. Features of Moratorium 2020 are (RBI circular dated March 

27, 2020): 

 

● It was applicable on all loans including education loans, credit card dues, personal loans, 

home loans etc. 

● Borrowers did not have to make the EMI payments on their loans during this period. 

Individuals whose EMIs on loans were outstanding as of March 1, 2020, could opt for the 

moratorium. 

● It was offered as a means to lessen the burden of debt servicing by the COVID-19 

disruptions and ensure the operation of businesses. 

● The repayment schedule would be shifted to a period after the moratorium. 

● During the moratorium period, interest would continue to accrue on the term loan’s 

outstanding amount. 

● All co-operative banks, commercial banks, National Financial Institutions, and NBFCs 

were allowed to grant a moratorium of three months. The period stated in the initial 

circular was then extended up to August 31, 2020. This would apply to all term loans 

including retail, crop and agricultural term loans. 

● The rescheduling of payments and interest would not count as a default for reporting to 

Credit Information Companies (CICs) by the lending institutions. The CICs would ensure 

that any action taken by a lending institution would not negatively affect the credit 

history of a borrower who has opted for the moratorium. Additionally, the RBI permitted 



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the lenders to allow one-time restructuring for personal loans while maintaining standard 

asset classification and corporate loans without a change in ownership. 

 

 

IMPACT AND PREDICTED IMPACT OF THE RBI MORATORIUM 

 

The State of the Indian Banking Sector (Pre-Covid-19 Period) 

The performance of the banking sector had improved in FY20 with several banks reporting 

growth in earnings. As per RBI data on sectoral asset quality given in figure 1 (Chapter II RBI 

circular dated July 24, 2020), 

 

● In July 2020, credit growth of non-food banks at 6.7 % was the same as in June 2020, but 

lower than the 11.4 % growth in July 2019. 

● Credit growth for agriculture and services produces an annual GNPA of 9% and 13%. In 

July 2020, credit growth for agriculture increased by 5.4 %, compared to a growth of 6.8 

% in July 2019. 

● Service sector credit continued to rise at a high rate of 10.1 % in July 2020, compared to 

15.2 % in July 2019. Within the services sector, credit to tourism, computer software, and 

hotel and restaurants resisted the downtrend with higher growth in July 2020 compared to 

July 2019. The credit growth to the corporate sector constitutes 37% of the total bank 

assets and forms 73% of NPAs.  

● The credit growth to the industrial sector was at 0.8% in July 2020 which was lower as 

compared to 6.1% in July 2019. Within the industrial sector, credit growth for food 

manufacturing, mining & quarrying, petroleum, coal products & nuclear fuels, cloth & 

cloth products, timber, building, and paper & paper products increased in July 2020 

compared to growth in the previous year’s corresponding month. 

● Tourism, transportation, sports, hospitality, petroleum, real estate, and food industries 

have been affected severely due to the pandemic. Pharmaceuticals, FMCG, e-commerce, 

services, and IT businesses have performed relatively well despite the pandemic. Hence, 

loans to these sectors are unlikely to turn bad. 

● Retail credit accounts for 22% of overall bank lending and produces 3.7% of NPAs. 

Personal loans, home loans and car loans have low delinquency rates.Personal loans have 

continued to do well, rising by 11.2% in July 2020, compared to 17% in July 2019.  

● The gross outstanding bank credit was at Rs.91.36 lakh crore in June 2020 compared to 

Rs.85.47 lakh crore in June 2019. 

 



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Figure 1. Sectoral Asset Quality Indicators  

Source: Chapter II RBI circular dated July 24, 2020 

 

Overview of Bank Performance (During Covid-19) 
Year-on-year Credit growth of Scheduled Commercial Banks, which declined dramatically 

during the first half of 2019-20, plummeted to 5.9% by March 2020. It then remained at a 

standstill until the beginning of June 2020 which can be seen in figure 2. This moderation was 

prevalent in all banking classes. Deposit development (y-o-y) also declined during 2019-20 

second half, primarily due to PVBs (Private Sector Banks), while a recovery occurred in the first 

few months of 2020-21, indicating the precautionary saving actions of COVID-19. Earnings of 

commercial banks before taxes and provision (EBPT) were aided by an increase in other 

operating income (OOI) and moderation in operating expenditure growth. Net interest income 

(NII) declined slightly, lowering the net interest margin (NIM) to the amount of September 2019. 

Profitability rates, i.e., the return on equity (RoE) and the return on assets (RoA), decreased in 

the FY 2019-20 second half for all the different banking classes. 

 



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Figure 2. Performance indicators for SCBs 

Source: Chapter II RBI circular dated July 24, 2020 

 

Predicted Impact of the Moratorium 
Moratorium-2020 was announced by the RBI as a relief measure during the pandemic. However, 

the six-month moratorium coupled with the one-time loan restructuring program may put stress 

on the Indian banking system.  The measures may have avoided a spike in NPAs for now but this 

may not be true for the near future. 

 

● NPAs (Non-Performing Assets) - As per the macro stress tests reported by the RBI in the 

July 2020 Financial Stability Report, the NPAs may surge to one and a half times above 



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the level in March 2020 under the baseline scenario and in a very stressed scenario, the 

surge could be 1.7 times above the March 2020 levels as shown in figure 4. According to 

Care Ratings’ Analysis of NPA Movement published on October 13, 2020, Gross NPAs 

ratios of Indian Banks are predicted to be around 11 to 11.5 % by the end of FY21. The 

banks are likely to restructure 4% to 5% of the overall bank credit outstanding. The gross 

NPA of SCBs was 8.2% in Q1 FY21 as compared to 9.5% in Q1 FY20 shown in figure 3. 

By the end of FY21, the numbers are expected to increase much beyond the 8.5% level 

which was seen at the end of FY20 while being moderated by the current write-offs and 

one-time restructuring scheme. The banks may also face severe stress due to low-rated 

corporate as personal loans can’t be registered under the restructuring scheme. 

 
Figure 3. Movement in gross NPA in Rs. Lakh Crore 

Source: Analysis of NPA Movement, Care Ratings dated October 12, 2020 

 

 
Figure 4. GNPA ratio projections for SCBs  

Source: Chapter II RBI circular dated July 24, 2020 



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● CRAR (Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets Ratio) –Under the baseline scenario, the RBI 

predicts the system level CRAR to drop to 13.3% in March 2021 from the March 2020 

level. In the case of a severe stress scenario, the levels could drop to 11.8 % as shown in 

figure 5. ―Although gross and net non-performing asset ratios had come down in March 

2020 along with receding slippage ratios, the economic fallout of the pandemic is likely 

to test this resilience, especially since the regulatory accommodations announced in the 

wake of the outbreak have masked the consequent build-up of stress,‖ stated by the RBI 

in its annual 2019-20 report. 

 

 
Figure 5. CRAR projections for SCBs 

Source: Chapter II RBI circular dated July 24, 2020 

 

 Economic Activity and Bank Credit -The Indian economy has steadily reopened in June 

2020 after a national lockdown declared by the government to avoid the curb the number 

of COVID-19 cases. During this time, the slowdown in the disbursement of new credit 

was attributed by bankers to difficulties in conducting origination activities, lack of 

clarification in the extension of the moratorium, and risk aversion amid tell-tale signs of 

stress throughout sectors. The banks are hopeful with regards to the number of loans that 

will turn into NPA’s as borrowers begin repayments after the end of the moratorium. 

Economic recovery is expected to be slow which along with the subdued credit growth 

could lead to the bank’s interest income becoming limited. The effects of the extended 

moratorium could be reflected on the bank’s balance sheets for a prolonged period. 

Additionally, if the rate of growth of deposits becomes roughly twice the rate of growth 

of credit, the banks may face stress on their balance sheets. If the banks slip into the 

―pretend and extend‖ mode, where loans are not recognized as bad assets and the 

companies, are not taken to bankruptcy courts, the result could be similar as in the past- a 



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series of mistakes in which the borrowers with the capacity to repay their loans don’t feel 

the pressure to do so. As per Moody's, Retail and Hotels, Oil & Gas, Transportation, and 

Aviation are the industries where the credit shock is most significant. Once the lockdown 

restrictions have been lifted in economies across Asia including India, the consumer trust 

would remain, thereby leading to a continued burden on credit quality for those 

industries. However, the long-term shock of far slower inflation that policy support can’t 

offset would accelerate the debt burden from already high levels. 

 

● Recapitalization -Banks need capital to cope with stress in their books or to expand their 

ability to lend. If stress levels will be noticeable in the second half of 2020, the need for 

growth resources will not be much as economic activity will take some time to recover to 

pre-Covid-19 levels. The government has infused Rs 3.5 trillion in PSBs (Public Sector 

Banks) over the recent years, with the last round of recapitalization taking place in 

September 2019, when the government agreed to front-load Rs 70,000 into banks. A 

majority of the capital infusion has taken place through the issuing of bonds, which do 

not have an immediate effect on the finances of the government but will become the 

government's responsibility for interest payments in the years to come. As the 

government needs to borrow an extra Rs 4.2 trillion against Rs 7.8 trillion currently 

assigned in the budget, the government's interest burden will also rise as these bonds are 

up for redemption. The recapitalization of public sector banks is going to be crucial in the 

situation of likely asset quality pressures on Indian Banks. ―Recapitalisation plans for 

public and private sector banks assume critical importance. The minimum capital 

requirements, which are calibrated based on historical loss events, may no longer suffice 

to absorb post-pandemic losses,‖ as per a statement made by the RBI. Additionally, the 

RBI governor has asked banks to be prepared for a bad loan shock due to COVID by 

enhancing their capital strength. 

 

● Lending Ability of Banks -Fundamentally, the health of every lending institution depends 

primarily on its liquidity and income-both of which affect its lending ability. If the 

moratorium results in high bad loans and low incomes, the stability of the financial 

institutions would be adversely affected and may lead to a ban on lending in compliance 

with existing regulatory requirements. With this aspect in mind, the RBI has now 

authorized a one-time restructuring of loans without classifying them as bad loans, 

subject to certain criteria (which are yet to be notified). Also, if the borrower is under 

actual financial hardship, the banks can opt to restructure the loan on more reasonable 

terms (increased tenure, decreased interest, etc.) against a general deferral of repayments.  

 

● The Profitability of Banks - The loan moratorium could continue to shift the credit 

environment of the banking sector. Similar changes by different countries across Asia 

would only help to alleviate credit-negative strains on banks, businesses, and the wider 

economy. These measures will not completely compensate for credit and economic 

disruption. The moratorium period would put the payment deadline back by six months 

for accounts that take the option. Despite the chance of improved credit quality for larger 

companies through policy support, the profitability of the Indian banking sector will 

decline. This is mainly due to the lower net interest margins and weakening asset quality. 

Financial authorities in several Asian economies such as India, China, and Malaysia have 



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introduced debt moratoriums to relieve the cash crisis for individuals and companies. A 

delay in redemption will bring immediate relief to borrowers but these measures will also 

limit the ability of banks to take constructive recovery and turnaround steps. Due to this, 

an even larger accumulation of credit-defaults could take place until the moratoriums are 

lifted. 

 

Interest Waiver and Its Implications for Banks 
On 23 October 2020, the Government declared an Ex-gratia scheme for the exemption from 

interest-on-interest to offer some relief and financial assistance to borrowers who may face 

financial difficulty due to COVID-19. Under this, the government would pay for interest 

incurred on interest levied during the moratorium and not the complete outstanding interest 

during the period. The incentive applies to all borrowers with any unpaid debt, including credit 

card fees and housing, school, auto, personal, and consumer loans up to a limit of ₹2 crores as of 

29 February 2020. The advantage would be open to those who have not opted for a moratorium. 

According to the guidelines provided by the Government, the relief would be proportional to the 

difference between compound interest and basic interest over six months. The calculation would 

be the same for all borrowers — those who did not apply for a moratorium, those who opted for 

a six-month moratorium, and those who opted for a moratorium of fewer than six months. It is, 

however, not eligible on fixed deposit loans and loans that were defaulted on, on or before 29 

February. 

After crediting the amount, lending institutions will claim the reimbursement from the 

central governments thereby diminishing the likelihood of any adverse effects on the banking 

sector. However, for Indian lending institutions with over $120 billion of bad loans and the 

COVID-19 induced collapse in the demand, the waiver will further stress the already severely 

stressed balance sheets of the banks. Further, the lending institutions will have to recalculate the 

millions of loans and may also have to wait nine to 24 months to get the funds from the 

government, increasing the burden on the institutions. 

India’s Supreme Court is in the process of hearing a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) 

dispute for the non-waiver of complete interest outstanding during the loan moratorium period. 

IT was observed that in such times, banks should not only offer moratoriums but also waive the 

interest. If a judgment of a complete interest waiver is made, there could be a severe impact on 

the banking sector. If the government overburdens the offer of subsidies to the borrower, and if 

the result is further weakening the credit system and potential inflation as the government's debt 

bloats, the price will be paid by all the taxpayers. Banks borrow depositors and lend to 

businesses and individuals.  In any instance, there will be more depositors than creditors. So, any 

decision to benefit creditors would eventually come from paying less to the depositors which 

would prioritize the handful over the vast majority of the bank's clients.  

It may be a good banking principle to give borrowers a reprieve when they are in 

desperate need, but it is a moral liability if it is presumed that the borrower must always be 

accommodated.  The financial system as a whole would be at risk where there is an implicit or 

overt presumption that borrowers need not care about repayment. In this scenario, the borrowers 

would borrow recklessly. When a bank goes under, the depositors are placed in a precarious 

position and are sometimes forced to wait for a government bailout to get their deposits back. It 

creates a structural problem where both depositors and borrowers believe that their decisions of 

depositing money in or borrowing from a specific bank, are not at risk. There is a stronger 



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argument for maintaining the confidence of depositors than the confidence of borrowers, since 

not only do more of them exist, but they are also vital to the lending industry as a whole. 

 

INSTANCES OF MORATORIUMS AROUND THE WORLD 

 

United States of America 
From March 2012 to June 2013, the National Mortgage Settlement extended relief to more than 

300,000 homeowners who had lost possession of their houses without due process. New Jersey 

introduced a moratorium in the first half of 2011 when the courts implemented an eight-month 

moratorium on foreclosures aimed at six mortgage servicers. The lending industry responded to 

the moratorium proposals with moral hazard projections, concluding that a moratorium would 

raise the number of delinquencies (Collins& Urban, 2017).     

 

Greece 
In response to the economic crisis in Greece, the legislature adopted a package of measures to 

provide relief to over-indebted households in 2010. Specifically, the government enacted a new 

law on personal bankruptcy that removed primary residences from liquidation. Around the same 

time, the government had imposed an almost universal moratorium on the foreclosure of primary 

homes. This new regulatory environment presented homeowners with two choices to secure their 

primary residence in the event of delinquency; default and apply for debt relief under the new 

Personal Insolvency Act, or default passively and protect the primary home through a foreclosure 

moratorium (Artavanis & Spyridopoulos, 2017). 

 

Thailand 
The Cabinet had approved increased debt relief plans such as suspending monthly loan 

repayments and interest for three years for farmers impacted by the 2011 floods. The moratorium 

applied to farmers who had borrowed before the deluge and counted from the first day on which 

their farmland was struck. The Government compensated for the interest on the loans subject to 

the moratorium and also approved a budget of 715 million Baht for the 2014 fiscal year to 

reimburse farmers for interest under the moratorium program (Nuansoi, 2013). 

 

CONCLUSION 

The six-month moratorium offered by the Reserve Bank of India was granted as a relief measure 

for the borrowers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of moratoriums is not new to the 

Indian banking sector as moratoriums have been granted in multiple instances in the past. 

Moratoriums have also been used across the world in the form of Debt or Foreclosure 

moratoriums in countries such as Greece, Thailand, and the USA. In particular, Japan had 

offered a moratorium for SMEs after the 2008 housing crisis but the effects of the prolonged 

moratorium period were largely negative and the scheme offering the moratorium was widely 

considered as a failure. 

The Indian banking industry had amassed bad loans of around Rs 9 lakh crores before the 

impact of COVID-19. The moratorium is expected to cause a surge in the NPAs by the end of 

the current fiscal year and the RBI predicts the system level CRAR to drop to levels lower than 

the same period last year. The slow recovery of the economic activity could lead to a decrease in 

the interest income of banks and a prolonged moratorium period could create additional stress on 

the banks’ balance sheets. To cope with the stress on their books and expand their ability to lend, 



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recapitalization is going to be crucial for the banks. If the moratorium results in a large number 

of bad loans, it will adversely affect the stability and thus the lending ability of the banks. 

Additionally, India’s banking sector’s profitability is expected to decline due to weakening asset 

quality and lower interest margins. 

The Government declared an interest-on-interest waiver for the interest incurred on 

interest levied during the moratorium period. The reimbursement for the amount can be claimed 

by the lending institutions after it is credited by them, but the scheme is likely to add further 

stress to the already stressed balance sheets of the banks. Due to the scheme, the banks will have 

to recalculate millions of loans and may also have to wait up to 24 months to get the funds from 

the government, thereby increasing their burden. A complete waiver of interest is being disputed 

in the Supreme Court of India and if permitted, it would lead to severe consequences for the 

Indian banking sector. 

The moratorium offered is going to present numerous challenges to the Indian banking 

sector in the coming months. Based on the predictions it is evident that the effects on the Indian 

banking sector are mostly adverse and the performance of the sector will decline as compared to 

the previous year. 

 

 

 

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