The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), giving more flexibility to cover bad loans has relaxed the provisioning rules against bad loans. The apex bank said that it would allow banks to set aside up to 50 per cent of floating provisions from 33 per cent earlier. Floating provisions are the amount that banks set aside that are above the mandatory provisioning requirement against bad loans established by the central bank. The new relaxation will be applicable for floating provisions held by them as of the end of December 2014.
RBI further stated that utilisation of countercyclical provisioning buffer/floating provisions under this measure would be over and above the utilisation of countercyclical provisioning buffer/ floating provisions as permitted...on Framework for Revitalising Distressed Assets in the Economy-Refinancing of Project Loans, Sale of NPA and Other Regulatory Measures.
Countercyclical provisioning buffer is created in good times. It can be utilised during economic downturns when banks are often required to make unusually high badloan provisions. Banks had long been lobbying with the central banks to allow them to draw a higher amount from the buffer as the stress on their loan book has increased significantly. Last year in February, RBI had allowed to utilise up to 33 per cent of countercyclical provisioning buffer/floating provisions held by banks as on March 31, 2013. Mounting bad loans have been a concern for the RBI and this relaxation may help banks provide for such loans thereby reducing the hit banks may face on their profitability due to the bad loans.
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