Big banks' bad loan woes may get worse, analysts say

They could post a 44% surge in combined provisions.

According to a report in Bloomberg, the woes of Singaporean energy-services provider Ezra Holdings Ltd. are a stark reminder to the city’s biggest banks of the threat souring oil and gas loans pose to their earnings.

A write-down flagged by Ezra recently has refocused attention on the debt-repayment problems marine-services firms are facing, fueling concerns that lenders may have to set aside more money to cover loan losses. Fourth-quarter results due this week from DBS Group Holdings Ltd. and its two biggest rivals may include a 44 percent surge in combined provisions for the period from a year earlier, according to RHB Capital Bhd.

“At the end of the day, it’s the issue of provisioning that will weigh down on profitability,” said Leng Seng Choon, an RHB analyst in Singapore.

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