La Jornada: Overdue consumer loans reach a new maximum, reports BdeM

The January slope was extended for another month for some families. At the end of February, the balance of the overdue portfolio of loans that private banks grant for consumption reached a new maximum of over 63 billion pesos, according to information from the Bank of Mexico (BdeM).

These are the overdue balances in financing, granted through products such as credit cards and that are discounted via the payroll of workers or personnel, and that have not received a payment from clients for at least 90 days.

According to the most recent information from the central institute, at the end of February the balance of the overdue portfolio of this type of credit reached 63,725 million pesos, which means an increase of 35.5 percent in nominal terms – without discounting the inflation of the period – compared to the 46,999 million in the same month of 2025.

It is an unprecedented figure in non-payment of consumer loans since there are records in the central bank. The so-called January slope is the period after the holidays in which household finances face greater pressure. Extraordinary end-of-year expenses – such as celebrations, trips and purchases – are added to accumulated payments, credits used and the beginning of new obligations, which reduces families’ liquidity and complicates compliance with their financial commitments in the first weeks of the year.

Institutions such as the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services (Condusef) have warned that this phenomenon is not always limited to January. For a portion of households, the pressure on income extends to February, due to the level of debt and lack of savings, which increases the risk of late payments, particularly in consumer loans.

Thus, at the end of February, the balance of the overdue portfolio represented 3.4 percent of total consumer loans, which amounted to one trillion 884 billion pesos, according to central bank statistics. In the credit card segment, which serves some account holders as support in the face of lack of income, the overdue balance amounted to 23,535 million pesos, which also represents a new maximum in BdeM records.

If this figure is compared to the 16,442 million pesos reported in February 2025, there is an increase of 43 percent.

In payroll loans, the overdue balance stood at 12,985 million pesos at the end of February, compared to 11,871 million in the same month last year; there was an increase of 9.4 percent.

In the case of personal loans, the amount in default amounted to 17,289 million pesos at the end of February of this year, while in the second month of 2025 the figure was 12,086 million, which represents an increase of 43 percent, according to information from the BdeM.