The Bankruptcy Report May 19, 2015 ECONOMICS Avery Shenfeld (416) 594-7356 [email protected] Benjamin Tal (416) 956-3698 [email protected] Andrew Grantham (416) 956-3219 [email protected] Royce Mendes (416) 594-7354 [email protected] Nick Exarhos (416) 956-6527 [email protected] Insolvencies—Rising Again by Benjamin Tal The insolvency rate in Canada is back to its pre-recession level of 4 in 1,000 adults (Chart 1). But recent activity reveals a reversal of that trend. During the six months ending February, the cumulative number of insolvencies rose by 1.2%—the first increase since the recession. This trend, however, masks two different trajectories of the components that comprise the insolvency rate. The number of personal bankruptcies, the first component, fell by a cumulative 4.7% during the six months ending February 2015. However, the second component, the number of proposals (a situation in which a consumer negotiates to repay only a portion of his/her debt) has, in fact, risen by no less than 9% during the same period (Chart 2). Note that while proposals rose alongside bankruptcies during the recession, they stayed high during the recovery (Chart 3). That was largely due to changes to the Consumer Insolvency Rate 3.0 2.0 1.0 CIBC World Markets Inc. CIBC World Markets • 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 -2.0 -4.0 -6.0 Bankruptcies Proposals Insolvencies Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, CIBC Bankruptcy Insolvency Act (BIA) in 2008 with the most significant modification being the increase in the limit of the size of nonmortgage debt for qualifying for a proposal from $75,000 to $250,000—making proposals more attractive relative to the bankruptcy route. Bankruptcies and Proposals— Diverging Trends 5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 4.0 http://research.cibcwm. com/res/Eco/EcoResearch. html Cumulative % Change: Sep 13-Feb 14 vs Sep 14-Feb 15 No. of Bankruptcies and Proposals Per 1,000 Population Aged 18 Years+ Per 1,000 Population Aged 18 Years+ 5.0 0.0 Rising Proposals Offset Falling Bankruptcies Chart 3 Chart 1 6.0 Chart 2 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 Source: Industry Office, Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, CIBC 88 92 96 00 Bankruptcy Rate (L) 04 08 12 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 Proposal Rate (R) Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, CIBC PO Box 500, 161 Bay Street, Brookfield Place, Toronto, Canada M5J 2S8 Corp 300 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017 • • • Bloomberg @ CIBC (212) 856-4000, • (416) 594-7000 (800) 999-6726 CIBC World Markets Inc. The Bankruptcy Report—May 19, 2015 Chart 4 Chart 6 Rising Share of Proposals in Insolvencies Proposals in Alberta are On the Rise 50 y/y % change, 3-month moving average 100 3-month moving avg 45 80 40 35 60 30 40 25 20 20 15 0 10 5 -20 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, CIBC 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, CIBC In the past, the growth in the number of proposals was of little importance given their relatively small size. That, however, is changing. The opposing trajectories of proposals and bankruptcies have led to a situation in which proposals now account for a record-high 50% of total insolvencies (Chart 4). Zooming in on the situation in Alberta, there are reasons to believe that the coming quarters will see continued deterioration. Note that the number of proposals in the province rose by a cumulative 24% during the six months ending February and by 30% on a smoothed year-overyear basis (Chart 6). And given that the share of proposals in bankruptcies is the highest in Alberta (Chart 7)—that trend is likely to lead to a higher insolvency rate in the coming quarters. And the damage from lower oil prices is starting to show. The cumulative number of insolvencies in Manitoba and Saskatchewan rose by almost 11% during the six months ending February 2015, while in Alberta it rose by 6.5%—the worst showing since the recession. At the same time, the number of insolvencies in Ontario fell by almost 7%, while in British Columbia they were little changed (Chart 5). Looking deeper into what’s in the pipeline by focusing on trends in major delinquencies of various credit products, reveals differing trajectories. Delinquency rates continue to trend downward in all major credit vehicles with the exception of lines of credit where the delinquency Chart 5 Chart 7 Increase in Consumer Insolvencies by Province Share of Proposals in Insolvencies by Province 12.0 % Cumulative % Change: Sep 13-Feb 14 vs Sep 14-Feb 15 70 10.0 3-month moving avg 60 8.0 6.0 50 4.0 40 2.0 0.0 30 -2.0 20 -4.0 Canada 10 -6.0 -8.0 As of February 2015 Man/Sask Atlc Alta Que CAN BC 0 Ont Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, CIBC ALTA ONT SASK QUE BC MAN ATL Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, CIBC 2 CIBC World Markets Inc. The Bankruptcy Report—May 19, 2015 Chart 9 Unemployment Not the Chief Factor Behind Insolvencies Chart 8 Major Delinquencies by Product Mortgage Arrears 0.7 1.25% % of total portfolio 0.6 Term Loans Total Balance Delinquencies 7 1.00% 0.5 % 6 0.4 12 10 0.75% 0.3 5 0.2 13Q4 12Q4 11Q4 10Q4 09Q4 08Q4 07Q4 06Q4 05Q4 04Q4 0.15% 13Q4 12Q4 11Q4 10Q4 4 8 3 6 2 1 0 13Q4 0.20% Credit Cards Total Balance Delinquencies 12Q4 0.25% 1.8% 1.7% 1.6% 1.5% 1.4% 1.3% 1.2% 1.1% 1.0% 0.9% 0.8% 0.7% 11Q4 Lines of Credit Total Balance Delinquencies 09Q4 14 10Q4 12 08Q4 10 09Q4 08 07Q4 06 08Q4 04 06Q4 02 07Q4 00 06Q4 98 05Q4 96 05Q4 0.30% 94 04Q4 0.50% 92 04Q4 0.1 per 1,000 population, aged 18 years+ Source: Equifax Canada, CBA, CIBC Insolvency Rate (L) 4 Unemployment Rate (R) 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 2 Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, CIBC rate has been on the rise over the past few years. This trajectory largely reflects transfer of risk from credit cards to lines of credit (Chart 8). the unskilled or semi-skilled occupational classifications. Increased self-employment activity is also important with no less than 20% of insolvents stating that they operated a business within a five-year period prior to becoming insolvent. More than half of insolvencies occur due to the combination of overextension of credit, financial mismanagement and unexpected expenses. So what’s next for the insolvency rate in Canada? A quick look at Chart 9 suggests that the answer does not lie only with the highly quoted unemployment rate. Clearly, a sharp rise in the unemployment rate can lead to a surge in the insolvency rate (see the 2009 recession), but from a long-term perspective we find the unemployment rate to provide only partial explanations to changes in the insolvency rate. In fact, based on information obtained from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, only one third of insolvent debtors are unemployed. Other factors such as employment quality play an important role here, with more than 60% of insolvents being in Given the increased sensitivity of Canadian households to higher interest rates, it is reasonable to expect that, as opposed to previous cycles, the upcoming interest rate tightening cycle will lead to a moderate increase in the insolvency rate, as the negative impact of increased debt financing costs will offset any positives on the unemployment front. 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