RBI bars Dena Bank from lending, hiring

Prompt Corrective Action comes after lender posts loss for third year in a row; net NPA close to 12%

Mounting loss: Dena Bank is the first lender to have fresh lending curbed under the PCA framework.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has barred State-run lender Dena Bank from extending fresh credit in view of deteriorating financial health due to mounting non-performing assets (NPAs). In addition, the lender has also been barred from recruiting staff.

“We wish to inform that the RBI, vide their letter dated May 7, 2018, has restricted the Bank from assuming fresh credit exposure and recruitment of staff,” Dena Bank said in a notification to the stock exchanges.

This means the bank can disburse loans for the credit facilities already sanctioned, but cannot sanction fresh loans.

In May last year, the RBI had put the lender under the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework, which meant dividend payments were not allowed. Despite the earlier restrictions, the financial health of the bank did not show any signs of improvement, which has now prompted the banking regulator to freeze lending. This action is also a part of the PCA framework.

Though several banks are under the PCA framework currently, Dena Bank is the first lender to have fresh lending curbed. RBI may decide to lift the restrictions in case the bank improves profitability and reduces bad loans.

The lender on Friday reported that loss for the Jan.-March quarter had widened to ₹1,225.42 crore compared with the same period of the previous year, when the loss was ₹575.26 crore. For the financial year 2017-18, the bank had posted a net loss of ₹1,923.15 crore. This is the third consecutive year the bank has posted a net loss.

Gross NPA at 22.4%

The gross non-performing assets of the bank, as percentage of gross advances, was 22.4% as on end March as compared with 16.17% a year ago. In absolute terms, bad loans rose to ₹16,361.44 crore from ₹12,618.73 crore.

The bank’s net NPAs were up to 11.95% or ₹7,838.78 crore from 10.66% or ₹7,735.12 crore.

The bank’s return of assets for 2017-18 is -1.59 as compared to - 0.67 a year ago. According to RBI’s PCA norms, the bank is at the second level of risk threshold since it reported three consecutive years of negative RoA and net NPA more than 9%. The fourth and final risk threshold is four years of negative RoA and more than 12% net NPA.

Only on capital front, the bank with 11.09% capital adequacy ratio and 8.81% common equity tier-I capital has not breached any risk threshold.