Pensioners confused by late interest charges they have to pay

Due to the delay in payments from the Federal Pension and Disability Insurance Fund to banks, pensioners who have taken out loans are receiving notices from banks about accrued interest, writes the bh. news agency Patria.

Several pensioners told the Patria agency that they have been receiving notices from banks for months about the delay in loan payments.

- We receive our pensions by the 10th of the month, and they pay the installments on the 20th or 23rd, and because of that, interest is calculated for us. It's our money, and we don't know what they are waiting for with the payments. The difficult situation has already forced us to take out loans, and now we have to pay interest as well – state the pensioners.

Amel Lizde, spokesperson for PIO/MIO FBiH, states that the reason is the delay in pension payments. However, knowing that pensions are paid out a maximum of seven days from the start of the payment period, the question arises why they wait another seven days before paying obligations to banks.

- There is a certain order; once all pensions are paid, then the obligations to banks are paid, and that is delayed. Then banks calculate interest due to the delay. But we have told all pensioners that they can contact us, and we will compensate them for the costs that banks charge them. No one will be disadvantaged in that regard – said Lizde.

When asked if they use pensioners' money before paying it to banks, Lizde said they do not, but rather wait for the last pension to be paid. The Patria agency also learned that a large number of pensioners only found out about the payment delays at the banks when they wanted to check why they were receiving notices about interest.