08/20/2020 - 13:35
- Clarín.com
- Economy
- Economy
Some clients who, with the August summary, began to pay off the credit card debt that the government allowed to refinance in April, when the quarantine began, found that the fees were higher than promised.
According to a study by the CERX consultancy, there are about 2.5 million households that entered this scheme , which contemplated three months of grace and began to pay only in August.
"There are disparities between what is charged. In some banks the 43% rate is met and in others not. In addition, many people who entered thought that they would pay a fee of $ 147 for every $ 1,000 of debt. But they arrived more than $ 400 for each $ 1,000 ", indicated the work done by Victoria Giarrizzo, of the consultancy. The economist explains that the account is more complex because the $ 147 does not include VAT on interest and is charged for every $ 1,000 of the initial debt, not on the debt that remains.
"It is very important that the Central Bank clarifies to appease the discomfort that was generated and that people understand to claim excesses. In addition, the expiration of the plan occurs when the quarantine continues, the families are deeply in debt and the income has not recovered. Yes Well, the 43% rate implies a strong reduction over the rate that the banks had in March, for many families in the current context, it is unpayable ", adds the work.
In any case, each bank works differently and in general it is difficult to find clear explanations on the balance on homebanking sites, including what the balance of that debt is so that the client can pay it if he wishes.
Matías Tombolini, vice president of Banco Nación, admitted that in the initial number given by the Central Bank, paying $ 147 for every 1,000 of debt did not include VAT on interest. But he explained that there should be no surprises in the fees. "For every $ 1,000 of debt, the first installment was $ 153.93 and the last will be $ 147.36 because the VAT on interest is decreasing," he explained in statements to radio Miter. Thus, for every $ 1,000 financed, a total of $ 1,357.02 will be paid.
"The jump in the summary is because people continued to consume . That is the central issue. It is a positive measure to have protected April balances, because you ran out of income to face them. But in May, June and July the normal summary continued to arrive and what people did was pay the minimum and the ball continued to be made because the extension of the isolation what ended up generating a more prolonged fall in income, "said Tombolini.
Giarrizzo agrees that, as the quarantine was being renewed every 15 days, families were slow to cut expenses and card consumption continued to grow out of necessity.
"In fact, in July the stock of debt for these consumptions grew 7%. Thus, when the summary was opened in August, the new installments were found under the name Plan V added to more consumptions on the cards", indicates the work of CERX.
For the consultant, another question that the Central Bank would have to clarify is whether interest is always applied on the initial balance or on the balance that remains as capital is paid off.
NE
