| Headline: Thailand Source: Euromoney Date: July 2001 Best bank: Bangkok Bank Best equity house: Merrill Lynch Phatra Securities Best debt house: Thai Farmers Bank Bank restructuring seems to be coming to an end with debt restructuring emerging as the next theme. Questions quite naturally focus on non-performing loans. Accusations of cosmetic adjusting echo around the institutions. The reported level of NPLs is 18% of loans. However if you add those to the write-offs the figure is still up in the region of 40%.
The bank is moving aggressively into the retail market in an attempt to become the reliable all rounder. In the past it ignored this crucial sector, concentrating on wholesale corporate banking. Its market share in several retail segments is now impressive. With its 550 branches it has grabbed over 18% of the mortgage market, 16% of the ever-competitive credit card sector, and 21% in retail deposits. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||