Effect of Credit Risk Management on Financial Performance of Nigerian Listed Deposit Money Banks

Deposit money banks are concerned with the provision of credit facilities in form of loans and advances to customers. These loans and advances are expected to be repaid by customers in line with the agreement reached with their bankers. Customers’ default in the repayment of loans and advances at the agreed period may lead to bad and doubtful debts and this can affect the financial health, profitability and going concern status of the bank. This study empirically explored the effect of credit risk management on the financial performance of ten listed deposit money banks in Nigeria for the period, 2005-2016. Credit risk management, the independent variable, was surrogated by three parameters- Non-performing Loan to total Loan Ratio (NPLLR); Non-performing Loan to total Deposit Ratio (NPLDR) and Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR). Return on asset (ROA) and Return on equity (ROE) was used as proxies for financial performance. Using the Random effects generalised least squares (GLS) regression as data estimation technique, the study revealed that all the three credit risk parameters have a significant relationship with ROA and ROE (p< 0.05).Based on the findings, the study recommended that the management of deposit money banks should develop rigorous and robust credit policies that will enable banks to effectively assess the creditworthiness of their customers. The regulatory agencies should also come up with modern credit risk measurements, identification and control. Prompt and necessary action should also be taken against the management of any bank that flouts their credit risk guidelines in order to avoid unpleasant distress in the financial system.