In a bid to encourage banks to carry out better independent credit checks and do more to chase rogue borrowers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is considering a proposal that would limit the number of participants in a single lenders' consortium. The banking regulator is also discussing a few ideas with lenders and ARCs to improve the bad loan management at banks.
RBI deputy governor R Gandhi elaborating the issue said that banks with small exposures assume less responsibility when loans sour. He also pointed that banks with very meager share neither have the incentive nor the information to independently assess a proposal. They typically go by one who has the bigger share.
He further said that the suggestion is to have a regulatory limit on the number of members in a consortium, so that every member will have a serious independent credit appraisal and credit mindset. Though, he added that the proposal could also have drawbacks, as it effectively restricts a bank's freedom.
Bad debts are a major problem for India, as it seeks to tackle $50 billion of bad debt that's slowing credit growth and hampering a broader economic recovery. Gandhi also said that the rate of growth of bad loans of Indian banks in 2011-15 was higher than credit expansion. Gross bad debt of 41 listed banks have jumped to Rs.3.3 lakh crore in June compared to Rs.91,178 crore on March 2011. Apart from regulatory limit on the number of participants in a consortium lending or multiple banking arrangement, proposal of a ready list of financial sector experts which could be referred to if a JLF were to enforce change in management at a defaulting firm is being considered.
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