Credit Risk Management and Financial Performance of Listed Banks in Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of credit risk management on the performance of selected listed commercial banks in Ghana. The study used secondary data collected from seven (7) banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange for a period of ten (10) years covering 2007-2016 with a total of seventy (70) observations. The credit risk management variables (independent variables) used were non-performing loans, loan loss provision, capital adequacy, with bank size (as controlling variable) whiles the financial performance of commercial banks (as dependent variable) was measured using return on asset. The data was examined using standard descriptive statistics and fixed effect model for hypothesis testing. Based on the test conducted on the data collected and the analyses of the results, this study found a significant relationship between the credit risk management variables (NPL, CAR and SIZE) and the profitability of listed banks in Ghana. In general, banks need to maintain an optimum level of CAR as per regulatory requirement so that they will not have difficulty in meeting their financial obligations, be able to absorb any financial shocks that may arise, protect their depositors’ investment and thus promotes the stability of the financial system. The study further recommends for banks in Ghana to control and monitor NPL, and keep the level of NPL as low as possible by emphasizing more on the ability of customers to pay back before credit approvals are given, a practice that will enable banks to achieve higher performance. Keywords: Non- Performing Loans, Loan Loss Provision, Capital Adequacy Ratio, Return on Assets, Ghana Stock Exchange, Fixed Effect, Random Effect. DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-6-05 Publication date:March 31st 202