Banking Ratios

    Net NPA Ratio

    Net Non-Performing Assets

    Net NPA is the percentage of a bank's loans, after provisions, that are not coming back. It measures the one skill a bank cannot do without: judging who will repay.

    Formula

    Net NPA

    Net NPA (%) = (Gross NPAs − Provisions) ÷ Net Advances × 100

    Benchmark: Lower is better; focus on net NPA, not gross

    Reading the number

    Banking is the business of lending. A bank that is good at telling who will repay from who will not is automatically the best bank, because everything else, growth, capital, margins, follows from that judgement. This single ratio is why HDFC Bank is regarded as one of the best banking franchises not just in India but globally.

    Look specifically at net NPA, which is what remains after the bank has set aside provisions, rather than gross NPA.

    Indian example

    Related ratios

    Glossary terms