No Restrictions On Operations By Depositors, Says Lakshmi Vilas Bank On PCA

Private sector Lakshmi Vilas Bank sought to assure its customers that being put on Prompt Corrective Action does not mean a moratorium on its operations.

“We wish to reassure all customers that bank can transact normal business. There are no restrictions on operations by depositors,” it stressed, adding that the bank can also undertake lending activities to all segments except corporates and other stressed and high risk sectors.

Also read: RBI puts Lakshmi Vilas Bank under PCA norms

Its statement comes to assuage depositors at a time when the Reserve Bank of India has restricted withdrawals from Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank at Rs 10,000 leading to panic amongst many of its customers.

Tamil Nadu based LVB had on Saturday in a regulatory filing said that it has been put under prompt corrective action framework due to high net NPA, insufficient CRAR and CET 1, negative RoA for two consecutive years and high leverage, based on the on-site inspection under the Risk Based Supervision carried out for the year ended March 31, 2019.

The restrictions by RBI come at a time when Lakshmi Vilas Bank proposal for merger with Indiabulls Housing Finance is pending with the RBI. While there is no word from the regulator on it, the proposal has been cleared by the Competition Commission of India.

Also read: Lakshmi Vilas Bank to merge with Indiabulls Housing Finance

LVB said the Corrective action plan also covers various suggestions/ measures to recover NPAs, reduce costs, boost capital, downsize RWAs and improve profitability and the management is in the process of implementing all these measures. 

“In the recently concluded annual general meeting on September 27, resolutions are passed authorising the Bank to raise further capital up to Rs 1, 000 crore through equity mode and Rs 500 crore by way of Tier I / Tier II bonds. Bank is exploring various avenues for raising capital to shore up its CRAR. Similarly Bank is putting in place strategies to recover NPAs,” it said, adding that the management welcomes the guidance of RBI and shall make all possible efforts to improve the overall financial health of the Bank.

The cash starved lender, which reported a net loss of Rs 237 crore for the first quarter of the fiscal, also registered gross NPAs of 17.30 per cent of gross advances from 10.73 per cent in the year-ago quarter.

The bank’s CAR and Tier I CAR stood at 6.46 per cent and 4.46 per cent as June 30, 2019 (7.72 per cent and 5.72 per cent as March 31, 2019) against regulatory requirement of 10.875 per cent and 9 per cent.

In August this year, its Managing Director and CEO Parthasarathi Mukherjee resigned citing personal reasons.

Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing, Delhi has registered a First Information Report (FIR) under complaint for offences of cheating, criminal breach of trust by banker, criminal misappropriation and against the directors of board, LVB; director, LVB, Connaught Place based on a complaint by Religare Finvest.