In 2017, the 211 companies associated with Unirec (National Union of Credit Protection Companies, a member of Confindustria) managed around 35 million cases, of which over 12 million were recovered (34%). In terms of amounts, loans granted have been steadily growing since 2011 (+89% in six years) and in 2017 they stood at a value of 71,4 billion euros (+3% approximately compared to 2016). Of these, 7,5 billion euros were collected compared to the 8,1 billion in 2016. The average value of managed loans reached 2.039 euros (+4,7% compared to 2016). This is what emerges from the VIII Unirec Report on credit protection services, which outlines the trend of the sector over the past year.
More than 62% of practices and 65% of amounts entrusted for recovery are concentrated in the Centre-South. Lombardy, Lazio, Campania and Sicily in the first places for number of cases (with an overall share of 47,7%) and by loan portfolio to be managed (49,8%). In terms of performance, the pink jersey for Trentino-Alto Adige and Valle d'Aosta (respectively 23% and 17% of the amounts entrusted are recovered). Among the Regions in which the amounts recovered show more consistent values, good results are recorded for Friuli Venezia-Giulia and Lombardy (tied at 14%), Liguria (13%, up by almost three percentage points in one year) and Sardinia (12%).
I NPLs account for 45% on the amounts managed by Unirec companies with a value of around 32 billion euros, in 2017 both the number of cases entrusted and their amount grew by 20% on an annual basis. The banking-financial sector follows (28%, for a value of almost 20 billion, 50% of which refers to positions post "benefit of the term", in which the policyholders are required to repay the entire amount in a single solution) and the utilities sector (14% and a value of approximately 10 billion), which instead – in terms of practices entrusted – discards a position and reaches 23%.
Within the banking-financial sector, post-sale receivables, therefore managed by Unirec companies on behalf of the credit originators, are those that have improved their performance the most, both in numerical terms (from 6,0% of the number of cases recovered in 2016 to 24,6% in 2017) and of amounts recovered, which rose from 2,4% to 5,6%. The role of the PA is growing, for cases entrusted (from 1,7% in 2016 to 3,6% in 2017 on the total number of cases) and for amounts entrusted by the public sector for recovery (2,3 billion euros) , which in 2016 did not even reach 1% and in 2017 amounted to 3,2% (+2,1 billion euros
the increase in value in one year).
The PA is the client for which the highest rate of recovery of the amounts is recorded (28,9%), followed by the commercial sector (with about a quarter of the amounts recovered on the total value of the client's receivables) and insurance (with a share of 21,8%). The share of business-to-business credits entrusted to Unirec companies is growing (from 9,3% in 2016 to 22% in 2017) and doubles in terms of amounts (from 17% to 34%). The cases granted and the volumes increased precisely in relation to the emergence of corporate credits due to the well-known banking crises that affected several institutions during 2017. The performance decreased from 18% in 2016 to 9,3% in 2017. They decreased business-to-consumer practices both in number (from 91% in 2016 to 78% in 2017) and for loans granted (from 83% to 66%).
“The data collected by the Unirec study center from participating companies show a significant growth in the sector's turnover, an indication of an intense development of activities especially in support of the financial world, but it should be noted that in 2017, in addition to the classic services market , there is a growth in services supporting the management of NPL credits that have emerged from the banking crises of recent years, with a surge in the corporate area of higher value compared to the consumer one. All of this highlights even more the importance of the sector for the country and its economy, too often the subject of critical observations that do not understand the importance of a virtuous credit circuit, which wants and must take place within a constructive relationship with the weakest party, the debtor”, he underlines Marco Pasini, outgoing president of Unirec.
