Banks ask RBI for better clarity on restructured loans

01 Mar 2012 Evaluate

Banks have asked for greater clarity on the definition of a restructured loan from the RBI. The banks are of the opinion that every restructured loan should not be treated as a non performing assets (NPA) and as and when payments become regular for a specific period of time, the account should be treated as a normal asset.

In a meeting with the Reserve Bank of India, Indian bankers have stated that currently there is no clear definition of a restructured account. In fact everything restructured is seen as equivalent to NPA. Restructured means that the dues are not being paid according to the schedule, not according to the revised schedule and the ultimate recovery of the debt is not in doubt. Hence the bankers have demanded that the RBI should give a clear guideline so that there is no divergence in approach when auditors come in.  Banks have further suggested that if an account adheres to the revised schedule for two years, it should be taken out of the categorisation of the restructured account. Pratip Chaudhuri, chairman of India’s largest lender State Bank of India, has proposed a timeline of three years. However all bankers are of the opinion that a restructured loan should not remain classified as such for its lifetime.

It has also been suggested that restructuring should be extended to smaller accounts instead of just large-ticket size accounts. Once an account is restructured, it demands higher provisioning. If the banks have the option of treating it as a normal account after a stipulated time, it would reduce the provisioning burden on banks. Of late, most banks have been plagued with mounting restructured assets. Rising interest rates and the slowdown in the economy are seen as major reasons behind this. Sectors like aviation, textile, infrastructure, iron and steel and telecom have been the worst hit.

Loans worth Rs 50,250 crore were referred for corporate debt restructuring (CDR) during the April-December period of the current financial year. Currently, total outstanding loans referred for restructuring are worth Rs 1.43 lakh crore, according to CDR forum data. With a share of 26.8%, the iron and steel sector accounts for most of these, followed by infrastructure (12%) and textiles (8%). However, the banks have said that the NPA situation is very much manageable and under control.

 

 

 

 

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