Banks are adopting several measures to help in this time of crisis. The Brazilian Federation of Banks – Febraban reported that the largest banks in Brazil: Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Caixa, Itaú Unibanco and Santander, announced the possibility of extending the debts of their individual customers and micro and small companies for 60 days. Each bank will define which credit lines may be extended.
Check out some bank actions:
Bank of Brazil
Individual customers who already have contracted credit operations can renew with a grace period to pay the first installment on direct consumer credit lines (CDC). The bank also increased the deadline for payments of the outstanding balance of the special check to up to two months.
Adhering to the new conditions can be done via digital channels – there is no need to go to an agency. Customers who need to reschedule or recover their credits will have renegotiations without the need for a down payment and renegotiation lasting from 2 to 96 months.
The new measures also include debt renegotiation for individuals and companies, with the first installment being waived, a grace period of 90 days and a period of two to 100 months for the new contract.
Box
The bank expanded the payroll credit lines and reduced interest rates on personal credit (consigned credit from 0.99% am, pledge from 1.99% am and CDC from 2.17% am).
For individual customers, a virtual debit card will be made available free of charge to facilitate online purchases, in addition to allowing the renewal of the pledge contract directly on the institution's website.
Companies operating in the commerce and services sectors will have special credit lines, with a grace period of up to six months. The bank reduced credit lines to support micro and small businesses by up to 45%. Caixa also released a credit line of R$ 3 billion for Santa Casas and philanthropic hospitals. These institutions provide services to the SUS.
In relation to housing contracts for individuals, Caixa customers will be able to request an extended break of up to two installments through the CAIXA Housing app, without the premise of attending branches.
Itau
Itaú will donate R$ 150 million to help combat COVID-19. The amount will come from Fundação Itaú para Educação e Cultura and Instituto Unibanco and will be used for hospital infrastructure, medical equipment, food baskets and hygiene kits. The aim is to support vulnerable communities and help in the treatment of those infected by the coronavirus.
“Itaú Unibanco is fully aware of the severity of the crisis resulting from the spread of Covid-19 and has been mobilizing its entire structure to support customers, employees and Brazilian society in this challenging context,” he stated in the statement.
Itaú also suspended, for an indefinite period, all unfair dismissals and brought forward the 13th salary.
Santander
Santander increased the credit card limit of all its customers who are in good standing by 10%. “In this scenario of uncertainty and concerns, it is essential to ensure everyone’s safety and give customers greater peace of mind when managing their finances”, declares Sérgio Rial, president of Santander Brasil.
“Increasing the credit card limit, for example, is a measure that allows the payment of some expenses to be postponed, which can make a difference for those who have already had their budget affected by changes in the economic situation.”
Santander will also not begin any dismissal process in Brazil amid the new coronavirus epidemic, according to a note.
Nubank
Nubank has created a R$ 20 million fund to help its customers during the coronavirus pandemic. Hospital Sírio-Libanês, iFood, Rappi and Zee.Dog signed partnerships with fintech to offer support services.
The “People First” fund will allocate resources to services, such as remote medical care, supermarket and pharmacy orders and delivery. In the partnership, Sírio-Libanês, for example, is providing 1,000 services on its medical teleguidance platform for Nubank customers.
“We go beyond money. We will donate the most precious thing we have: our time and energy to listen to people and help them in any way possible, beyond our financial lives. This is our DNA. Our expectation is to support tens of thousands of people by the end of April”, declares David Vélez, executive president and founder of Nubank.
BNDES releases R$ 55 billion and new FGTS withdrawals will be allowed
The R$ 55 billion, according to Montezano, will be applied on four fronts to help companies in difficulty. The measure will benefit 150 thousand companies, which have 2 million employees.
R$ 20 billion will be transferred from PIS/Pasep to the Severance Indemnity Fund (FGTS). BNDES will also suspend loan collections for six months. R$ 19 billion goes to refinancing direct operations and R$ 11 billion to indirect operations. The fourth measure is the release of R$ 5 billion to expand the credit line aimed at micro, small and medium-sized companies with annual turnover of up to R$ 300 million.
Central Bank and the R$ 1.216 tri package
Central Bank President Roberto Campos Neto reported a R$ 1.216 trillion package, which aims to increase liquidity in the market during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This amount is equivalent to 16.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and exceeds by almost ten times the R$ 117 billion announced during the global financial crisis, which occurred between 2008 and 2009, and which represented 3.5% of GDP.
The new package includes measures such as the creation of a new Term Deposit with Special Guarantee (DPGE), giving access to investment funds with larger values, worth an estimated R$ 200 billion.
Regional actions
Amazon Bank
Banco da Amazônia suspended payment of financing installments for credit operations to promote individuals and legal entities, who wish to receive the benefit, for up to six months. The measure will benefit 150 thousand Bank customers. The institution is also making access to working capital lines more flexible with differentiated rates of 4.88% per year.
According to the Bank's Credit Director, Roberto Batista, the decision makes rules for loans and financing contracted until February 2020 more flexible. “The measure is valid from this month onwards and benefits individual and corporate customers, allowing adjustments to their cash flows, which which will contribute to reducing the temporary effects resulting from COVID-19”, says the director.
Bank of Brasília – BRB
BRB will release R$ 1 billion for working capital loans. The resources will be available to all companies, regardless of sector or business size. The rate will be 0.8% per month, with a six-month grace period and up to 36 months to repay the loan.
Development Bank of Espírito Santo – BANDES
BANDES suspended for 90 days the collection of contracts, expiring from April onwards, from companies operating in the tourism, hotel, bars, restaurants and entertainment segments in general.
Development Bank of Minas Gerais – BDMG
BDMG created three lines of credit with special conditions to help companies of all sizes in the health sector in Minas Gerais. Resources will be made available for working capital and investments to purchase raw materials for high-demand products, such as masks and scarves, in addition to hiring temporary labor, etc.
Banco do Nordeste – BNB
BNB announced the possibility of extending loans and financing for up to six months. This measure is mainly aimed at micro and small companies. For companies that need new resources, the bank offers credit for working capital, with internal resources, with a grace period of up to six months to start paying for new operations.
State Bank of Rio Grande do Sul – Banrisul
Banrisul will grant a grace period of up to two months in paying companies' debts to the bank. The institution will also offer entrepreneurs who have already reached the debt limit in relation to the Bank to increase it by up to 10%.
The availability of pre-approved R$ 3 billion will be defined for legal entities that are at the limit of their credit capacity and the extension of up to three years in the period for paying installments relating to loans to finance the harvest, in the case of rural producers. For individual customers, the initiatives include credit expansion totaling R$ 11 billion and an automatic increase of 10% in the Banricompras limit.
“We are not talking about the economy to save CNPJ, companies, but about what concerns the lives of people, employees, those whose lives will be affected. Stopping everything will impact the lives of many people and will affect jobs”, says the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite.
Develop São Paulo
Desenvolvimento SP, with the aim of helping companies in the state of SP amid the pandemic, remodeled credit lines. With the changes, micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs can count on working capital with a reduced interest rate and longer payment and grace periods. R$ 200 million will be made available for working capital. The institution also increased the financing term from 36 to 42 months.
