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The aggregate Non-Performing Loans of nine banks increased to N814.08bn in 2021, representing a 3.16 per cent increase from the N789.14bn reported in 2020, according to findings by the PUNCH. The nine banks are Access Holdings Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Wema Bank Plc, FCMB Group, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc. Others are Guaranty Trust Holding Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, and Ecobank Nigeria. However, with the banking sector’s NPL ratio closing 2021 at 4.85 per cent, some of the nine banks remained within the five per cent NPL ratio stipulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Further findings also show that while some of the banks recorded an increase in their NPLs during the period under review, a number of them recorded a significant decline in their NPLs. From the banks’ audited 2021 financial statements, findings showed that Access Holdings, Zenith Bank and GTCO reported the top three highest NPL by value among the nine banks, while Stanbic IBTC Holdings reported the lowest. Access Bank in 2021 reported N181.5bn NPL by value, representing an increase of 4.3 per cent from the N161.2bn it recorded in 2020