These actions on 4 coop banks are based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, 2 January, 2025: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by separate orders in December 2024, imposed a monetary penalty on 4 co-operative banks. These actions on the concerned coop banks are based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance, as per the press releases issued by the RBI on 2 January, 2025.
RBI has imposed monetary penalty on Smriti Nagrik Sahakari Bank Maryadit, Mandsaur (MP); Pune People’s Co-operative Bank Ltd., Pune, Maharashtra; The Akola Janata Commercial Co-operative Bank and on The Cosmos Co-operative Bank Ltd.
1 The Reserve Bank of India (RBl) has, by an order dated December 30, 2024, imposed a monetary penalty of Rs4.20 lakh (Rupees Four Lakh Twenty Thousand only) on Smriti Nagrik Sahakari Bank Maryadit, Mandsaur (MP) (the bank), for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Customer Service - UCBs’ and ‘Loans and advances to directors, their relatives, and firms / concerns in which they are interested’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2023. Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions. After considering the bank's reply to the notice, oral submissions made during the personal hearing and additional submissions, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charges against the bank were sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:
The bank had:
This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.
2 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated December 30, 2024, imposed a monetary penalty of Rs25.00 lakh (Rupees Twenty Five Lakh only) on Pune People’s Co-operative Bank Ltd., Pune, Maharashtra (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Priority Sector Lending (PSL) - Targets and Classification’ and specific direction issued by RBI on making contribution to the Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE) Refinance Fund due to shortfall in achievement of PSL. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
The bank was directed by RBI through specific direction to deposit a certain amount to MSE Refinance Fund administered by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) against the shortfall in achievement of PSL target for the Financial Year (FY) 2022-23. On failure to deposit the specified amount, a cautionary letter was issued by RBI advising the bank to deposit the specified amount, but the bank failed to deposit the same. Based on the above-mentioned non-compliance and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the RBI directions. After considering the bank's reply to the notice and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charge against the bank was sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:
The bank had failed to deposit the specified amount in the MSE Refinance Fund maintained with SIDBI against the shortfall in achievement of PSL target for FY 2022-23, even after the issuance of cautionary letter, within the prescribed time.
This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.
3 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated December 31, 2024, imposed a monetary penalty of Rs15.40 lakh (Rupees Fifteen Lakh Forty Thousand only) on The Akola Janata Commercial Co-operative Bank Limited, Akola (the bank), for contravention of provisions of Section 26A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act) and non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Maintenance of Deposit Accounts - Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the BR Act.
The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2023. Based on supervisory findings of contravention of statutory provisions/non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said provisions and directions. After considering the bank’s reply to the notice, oral submissions made during the personal hearing and examination of additional submissions made by it, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charges against the bank were sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:
The bank had failed to:
This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.
4 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated December 31, 2024, imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 8.30 lakh (Rupees Eight Lakh Thirty Thousand only) on The Cosmos Co-operative Bank Ltd. (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Management of Advances - UCBs’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2023. Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions. After considering the bank’s reply to the notice, oral submissions made during the personal hearing and examination of additional submissions made by it, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charge against the bank was sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:
The bank had levied foreclosure charges on floating rate term loans, sanctioned to certain individual borrowers.
The action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.
