RBI Warns of Stress as Indian Banks’ Bad Loans Hit 14-Year High

Bad debts at Indian lenders, especially those in the dominant state-run sector, have climbed to a 14-year high and could swell further, putting a strain on their capital buffers and profitability, a central bank study showed. The industry’s gross bad-loan ratio jumped to 9.1 percent in September, from 7.8 percent in March, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s Financial Stability Report released Thursday.