Managements evading hard decisions, bank consolidation depends on resolving NPAs: Rai
Banks Board Bureau chief Vinod Rai said little progress has been made on resolving bad loans as managements are reluctant to take hard decisions on recasting debt despite concerns that the rising burden of non-performing assets (NPAs) is holding back the economy.
“We are not making much progress and I don't think we have anybody else to blame but the banks themselves,“ Rai told ET, adding that the government and RBI had created a conducive environment for lenders to clean up their books.
The veteran bureaucrat, who was roped in by the government to oversee a planned transformation of state-owned banks, added that he doesn't see any prospects for consolidation until bad loans are sorted out. Rai, whose mandate is likely to get broader, said he now sees signs of recovery in the economy . But banks need to push sluggish credit expansion to spark private investment, which has been lagging behind, in order to boost growth to required levels.
The lack of enthusiasm on the part of bank executives to resolve bad debts stems from fear that they may subsequently be accused of favouring big corporate borrowers and face corruption charges. But those concerns have been addressed, he said. “The critical issue that needs to be asked is in FY16-17, how many bad loans have you resolved?“ Rai said. BBB has roped in two of the country's top anti-corruption authorities -the Central Vigilance Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation -to ease worries about undue scrutiny over rescheduling bad loans, Rai said. A twomember overseeing committee (OC) to help banks deal with bad loans was set up after consultations with the Reserve Bank of India and the agencies mentioned above. It includes former State Bank of India chairman Janki Ballabh and former chief vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar.
“I don't think at any point of time before this, the government or RBI had made it so simple for them to settle. In my interactions with RBI governor (Urjit Patel), I am assured that RBI is totally supportive,“ he said, adding that the regulator has also agreed to tweak regulations wherever there are genuine concerns. “But the point is RBI is not going to lay out the entire red carpet and then say you settle.“
The newly announced bankruptcy laws will be ineffective as long as banks are not prepared to make decisions on bad loans, Rai said, adding that BBB was only an advisory body . Gross NPAs of public sector banks surged to `4.76 lakh crore in FY16 from `2.67 lakh crore in the year before. As many as 13 of 21 public sector banks -State Bank of India and its associates were counted as one entity -posted losses in FY16 and half of them could do so again this fiscal, Crisil said in a note on Wednesday .
Rai said that in the public sector processes sometimes take precedence over outcomes but banks should be able to get things moving by following the resolution procedure and presenting cases to their boards for action, expres sing frustration that this wasn't happening. “Somebody has to talk to them and tell them you are here to settle, resolve issues, and kick start lending process,“ he noted.
Banks should make use of the joint lenders forum (JLF), he said. “I do not see a CBI prosecuting the boards of seven banks,“ he said.The JLF refers to a grouping of key lenders to a borrower who come together to negotiate jointly.
BAD BANK ET reported earlier this week that the government was working on a plan to address bad loans and one of the options was a professionally run bad bank.
Rai isn't convinced that's a good idea, going by the experience of the dozen or so asset reconstruction companies operating in the country. “How many loans have they resolved over the last decade?“ he said. “I am convinced in my mind that public sector can work, it has delivered and we can make it still deliver.“
Rai said recent reports about consolidation may have been based on comments that were general in nature, rather than anything specific. “Bank consolidation is very much on agenda but it is not the right time,“ Rai said.“When going for bank consolidation, you take two partners, and look at what synergy they have.But when you have stress on the balance sheet, you don't know the real size of the balance sheet.“
The Economic Times New Delhi,13th October 2016
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