Business Standard

Double whammy for Allahabad Bank

- NAMRATA ACHARYA Kolkata, 14 May

On a day the CBI charge sheet named former PNB CEO & MD Usha An ant ha sub ram an ian( pictured ), currently heading Allahabad Bank as CEO, the RBI placed additional restrictio­ns on Allahabad Bank, which is under prompt corrective action since January. The RBI de barred the bank from high-risk lending and raising high-cost deposits. The RBI advised us to restrict expansion of risk-weighted assets, and reduce exposure to unrated and high-risk advances, Allahabad Bank said. NAMRATA ACHARYA writes

After the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) debarred Dena Bank from fresh lending, it has placed additional restrictio­ns on Kolkata-based Allahabad Bank, which is under prompt corrective action (PCA) since January this year. The regulator has debarred the bank from highrisk lending and raising highcost deposits.

The RBI has advised the bank to restrict expansion of risk-weighted assets, reduce exposure to unrated and high-risk advances, Allahabad Bank said in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges on Monday.

The RBI has also restricted the bank from creation of non-banking assets and has advised it to restrict from accessing or renewing wholesale or costly deposits or certificat­e of deposits. The board of directors of the bank, in its meeting on May 11, has already taken note of the same, the bank informed in the filing.

Last year, Allahabad Bank had reported 5.27 per cent growth in lending and 5.81 per cent growth in deposits. The deposit growth to large industries fell by 9.11 per cent, while retail loans grew by

Recently, the RBI not only debarred Dena Bank from extending fresh credit in view of the deteriorat­ing financial health, but also debarred the lender from recruiting staff

25 per cent.

On account of more than threefold rise in provisioni­ng, Allahabad Bank posted a net loss of ~35 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, against a net profit of ~1.1 billion for the fourth quarter of the last financial year. For the whole year, the bank had reported a net loss of about ~47 billion, against ~3 billion in 2016-17.

In absolute terms, the gross NPA of the bank in the last quarter stood at ~266 billion at the end of last quarter, against ~207 billion in the same period last year.

Recently, the RBI not only barred Dena Bank from extending fresh credit in view of the deteriorat­ing financial health, it also barred the lender from recruiting staff.

“We wish to inform that the RBI, vide its letter dated May 7, 2018, has restricted the bank from assuming fresh credit exposure and recruitmen­t of staff,” Dena Bank said in a notificati­on to the stock exchanges recently.

As many as 11 of the 21 state-owned banks are under the PCA of the RBI.

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