10 Banks Merged To Create Four Large Banks, PNB, Canara Bank, Union Bank and Indian Bank; Unions Call for Protest on Saturday
Moneylife Digital Team 30 August 2019
The Indian government has decided to merge several public sector banks (PSBs) to create four large banks. Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and United Bank of India (UBI) will be merged with Punjab National Bank (PNB) to create second largest bank in India. Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank will become fourth largest lender, while Union Bank of India, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank will be merged to create fifth largest PSB in India. Allahabad Bank will be merged with Indian Bank to create seventh largest bank in India. Following the government decision, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), the umbrella body of nine banking sector trade unions, has called for demonstrations across the country on Saturday to protest against the mega bank merger plan.
 
Announcing the decision, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman says, "After today's announcement (merger of banks) post consolidation, India will now have 12 PSBs from 27 PSBs. Following the mergers, PNB would become second largest lender with a business size of Rs17.94 lakh crore, Canara Bank, the fourth largest with a business of Rs15.20 lakh crore, Union Bank of India the fifth largest with a business of Rs14.59 lakh crore and Indian Bank with a business size of Rs8.08 lakh crore will be seventh largest bank in India."
 
 

"We shall continue with two banks, which will have national presence—Bank of India with Rs9.3 lakh crore of business size and Central Bank of India with Rs4.68 lakh crore of business size," the minister says.

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), UCO Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and Punjab and Sind Bank would continue to be independent lenders.

Explaining the rationale behind merger of OBS (Oriental Bank of Commerce) and United Bank with PNB, the minister says, all three lenders use same banking software, which will enable them to realise gains quickly. "The consolidated bank will have high current account saving account (CASA) ratio and lending capacity. The merger will led to higher cost reduction due to network overlaps. It will also save cost and provide more income opportunities for joint ventures and subsidiaries of these banks," she added.

The merger of Syndicate Bank with Canara Bank, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank with Union Bank and Allahabad Bank with Indian Bank will also result in similar realisations.

In large banks the strength of executive directors is enhanced to four, Ms Sitharaman says adding, "Flexibility is being given to bank boards of large PSBs to enhance sitting fees of non-official directors (NODs). Bank boards are given mandate to reduce or rationalise board committees. In addition, MCB loan sanction thresholds is now enhanced by up to 100%."

Talking about employees in PSBs, the FM said, from now onwards, board committee of nationalised banks would appraise performance of top management from general managers (GMs) and above. PSBs would now recruit chief risk officer from market. Bank board would also decide a system of individual development plans for all senior executive positions.

All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) General Secretary CH Venkatachalam said that bankers will hold massive demonstrations on Saturday all over the country and also wear black badges.

Comments
B. Yerram Raju
6 years ago

Transformation leadership and effective HR issues resolution with cultural moorings hold the key for impending mergers and they are in cloud.
subbaraman
6 years ago
The merger plan is long overdue. The UPA governments with a past Governor of RBI as the PM did not pay any attention to professionalise the banks, they only politicised them. Unlike Mr. Talwar who stood up to the Government, the SBI chairmen did not have the courage to quit office rather than dance to the tune of the FMs and PM. The protests called by the Bank Unions are feeble, misconceived and politically backed by retrograde leftist politicians who have been reduced to miniscule minority in the elections successively because of their outmoded imported economic philosophy which has been rejected world wide.
TIHARwale
6 years ago
whenever any step regarding PSB the Staff Unions create a ruckus and today it is no different. only loser out of merger the office bearer of Unions of merged entity in other words at least union office bearers have to work like regular staff and those who sit in Bank boardas workmen directors and officer directors lose their clout and other perks even as Bank executives collaborate with big ticket borrowers who plundered the PSBs as these Union leaders were also given slice of booty the other directors enjoyed. it may surprise the Board meets every month outof which the alternate meetings are held in hill stations, sea resorts etc depending upon the needs of directors
Govinda Warrier
6 years ago

The elegant way in which the uncertainties about the report on RBI's Economic Capital Framework were thrashed out and the speed with which measures to accept and implement the report were initiated by RBI with active support from GOI gave a loud and clear message that adhocism and uncertainties are things of the past, in regard to management of India's central bank.

The announcement of merger and consolidation of major public sector banks almost on the lines recommended by Narasimham Committee I in 1991, gives one the comfort that Modi 2.0 is clear about government's intention to induce professionalism and economy of scale in condut of business by public sector banks.

Indian Banking System is nearer to the institutional structure recommended by the Committee on Financial System (Narasimham Committee, 1991), which visualized "3 or 4 large banks that could become international in character, 8 to 10 banks with a network of branches throughout the country doing universal banking and local banks confined to specific regions.

One expects, the consolidation will be smooth with the board and HR-related precautions spelt out by the Hon'ble FM, Nirmala Sitharaman while briefing the media about the mega mergers.

M G Warrier, Mumbai

Ramesh Poapt
6 years ago
share of business continue to decline and npa not reducing much for psu
banks. step is to downsize the psu banks. share of govt to be diluted in
due course. psu banks can be healthier in future and disinvestment will
be easy. staff strength/costs will reduce. provisioning will be less. no other way out!
it is long term step.
AMIT KUMAR
6 years ago
Many if not most PSB and PSU employees were big supporters of the people in power recently. Hope they are enjoying.
PETER SALAZAR
6 years ago
This is indeed alarming . Big- bang(k) announcements to convince the people that something is being done to stabilise the economy.
Why is no one addressing the job losses that will result as a result of the merger?- in a time when job creation is the need of the day .
Who will be responsible for the NPA recovery? It will become nobody's baby and the 'predecessors ' will be blamed as usual. They will have retired or be superannuated by then
Will the money 'received' from the RBI be used to recapitalise the banks and flow into the NBFC only to disappear again ?
We appeal to the Government , please, please get professionals to run the economy; the power point presentation of the ministry yesterday during the announcement did not inspire confidence
Abhijit Gosavi
Replied to PETER SALAZAR comment 6 years ago
I used to believe that India needed its PSU banks. But I have changed my mind now. I have recently experienced the *horrible* (that is an understatement) red tape that comes with the govt.-run financial systems. A PSU bank was recently harassing my mother (in her late seventies) for some basic bank documents she needed after my father's death. PSU employees are not only lazy, rude & unprofessional, but very, very incompetent. They have literally no clue on how to generate a DMAT account, but have employees (& endless amounts of money) devoted to such tasks. Other than some very basic savings accounts for seniors and perhaps money transfer for them, these PSUs are not needed at all. The first step is to merge them. The second step would be to gradually phase them out with voluntary retirement schemes and a full stop to new hiring, along with gradually diminishing workload (i.e., no new accounts or loans) obviously.
Abhijit Gosavi
Replied to Abhijit Gosavi comment 6 years ago
People in the private sector lose jobs regularly in their 50s & then have to resurrect their careers somehow through consulting work & becoming self-employed. People who run their own businesses (small or big) essentially encounter the same kinds of risks. All of them have zero pensions. They have to invest in the stock market or real-estate market for their retirements. Therefore, there are no excuses for these govt. employees, who have guaranteed jobs in addition to pensions, in regards to their poor customer service. They can quit and join the private sector if they think they are being overworked. I can assure you the hours in the private sector will be *significantly* longer minus the guaranteed job & the pension.
Dr.Dhananjaya Bhupathi
Replied to Abhijit Gosavi comment 6 years ago
GM Abhijitji! Your bitter experience is understandable from the customer's point of view. The workload on Bank employees is ever-increasing. Added to this, bank employees' are overstrained with additional unrelated duties, like Adhar Registrations, canvassing Ponzi schemes, investment in Mutual Funds, & Election duties [MP/MLA/ZP/Mandal elections], etc. The bank employees' job became a thankless job with low paid salaries/pensionary benefits. KYC-[know your customer] scheme is increased due to ever-increasing frauds/scams. The customers, accustomed to fast service; do not wait for long in banks; unlike Govt. offices, courts, & Rly stations, etc.
Avadh Gurjar
Replied to Dr.Dhananjaya Bhupathi comment 6 years ago
Accept my greetings sir,
In contrast with your statement "bank employees' are overstrained with additional unrelated duties, like Adhar Registrations, canvassing Ponzi schemes, investment in Mutual Funds, & Election duties [MP/MLA/ZP/Mandal elections], etc." This problem is not confined to PSBs it can be seen in private sector banks also but gov. Employee thinks "i am a government servant and i am not ansrable to anyone" Which leads him to excessive bitterness. They are not bothered by work load but the reality is they don't want to work.
Further if someone is doing other work like Adhar registration (as you mentioned sir) i think they do that particular task at that time and don't indulge in other work so i don't think it increases any type of work load. (As private employees are managing all these things with lower salaries also and with no pension scheme)
Untill a gov. employee starts to think that he is ansrable to public things won't change sir.
Work will not be done with full potential unless it has purpose.
Abhijit Gosavi
Replied to Dr.Dhananjaya Bhupathi comment 6 years ago
People in the private sector lose jobs regularly in their 50s & then have to resurrect their careers somehow through consulting work & becoming self-employed. People who run their own businesses (small or big) essentially encounter the same kinds of risks. All of them have zero pensions. They have to invest in the stock market or real-estate market for their retirements. Therefore, there are no excuses for these govt. employees, who have guaranteed jobs in addition to pensions, in regards to their poor customer service. They can quit and join the private sector if they think they are being overworked. I can assure you the hours in the private sector will be *significantly* longer minus the guaranteed job & the pension.
Dr.Dhananjaya Bhupathi
6 years ago
https://www.moneylife.in/article/10-banks-merged-to-create-four-large-banks-pnb-canara-bank-union-bank-and-indian-bank-unions-call-for-protest-on-saturday/58063.html
1. Already, the entire Indian economy is in a mess.
2. The final result of PSB mergers -
a. Closure of branches with more & more strain on existing staff.
b. No scope for branch expansions with any remedy for unemployment of teeming millions of qualified youth.
c. Entire NPAs of PSBs shall be kept under the carpet.
d. In the absence of refurbishment of PMO & UFM fully saturated by duds of ad-hocism, entire borrowed money US $.5 trillion shall vanish under the dispensation of merged PSBs.
e. The demand for bank services = sky is the limit. People utilize bank services for 24 hrs a day & 7 days a week. Mergers are a big mess.
3. Entire PSB scams involved apex level frauds committed by PSB boards, CMDs, EDs & CEOs. They are left scot-free.
4. With bank employees going on strike[s], tainted-PSB boards/CMDs engaged in Bank mergers, why the PM & UFM are taking such a risky step to strain the Indian economy vis-a-vis the citizenry, more so the youth.
5. Tinkering with Banking system ‘in crisis’ is an unwise step.
6. Every Indian citizen appeals to BJP/RSS cadres to counsel the decision-makers not to indulge in any more misadventures with failing Indian economy.
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7fOf8rUrdw.
8. SATYAMAEVA JAYATHE!!!

Jeyakumar
Replied to Dr.Dhananjaya Bhupathi comment 6 years ago
PNB could not manage its own and they had a hole of 13 000 crores in their numbers being a single fraud of issue FLCs. Why so much confidence that they are being handedd over another 6000 plus branches to manage. Well is this the reward for such gappe
Dr.Dhananjaya Bhupathi
6 years ago
https://www.moneylife.in/article/10-banks-merged-to-create-four-large-banks-pnb-canara-bank-union-bank-and-indian-bank/58063.html
1. How about recovery of mounting NPAs in erstwhile merged Banks?
2. Any plan[s] to fix-up wages + retirement benefits/pensions on par with leading foreign banks, so that the most talented Indian youth can join Banks?
3. How about refurbishing + registration with bye-laws of unregistered IBA/UFBU/CBPRO/AIBRF affiliates who played havoc with Bank employees’ wages + retirement benefits & accountability on RBI audit department & statutory auditors in preventing future frauds?
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7fOf8rUrdw.
5. SATYAMAEVA JAYATHE!!!
Array
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