Growth in bank deposits and credit slowed in Q4, 2009-10

The pace of growth in bank deposits and credit showed a substantial decline in the last quarter of 2009-10, as compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

According to the Reserve Bank data, although deposits of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) in the country went up by 16.9 per cent to Rs 46,01,926 crore during Q4, 2009-10, they expanded at a slower pace than in the year-ago period.

In Q4 2008-09, deposits had increased by 21.9 per cent to reach at Rs 39,37,336 crore.

During the last fiscal, the Indian economy had just about started recovering from the impact of the global financial meltdown.

Credit advances, on the other hand, increased 17.1 per cent for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 to Rs 33,45,619 crore, from the year-ago period, said RBI's latest 'Quarterly Statistics on Deposits and Credit of Scheduled Commercial Banks'.

The growth rate was down from the 19.3 per cent registered during Q4 of 2008-09, when total credit had stood at Rs 28,57,525 crore.

The top hundred centres across India, arranged according to the size of bank credit, accounted for 78 per cent of total bank credit.

"Aggregate deposits of top hundred centres increased by 17.2 per cent in March 2010 over March 2009 compared to a growth of 21.0 per cent recorded a year ago. Growth rate of gross bank credit of top hundred centres at 16.3 per cent in March 2010 was substantially lower than 20.5 per cent growth recorded in March 2009," the RBI said.

The top hundred centres accounted for Rs 31,93,906 crore of total deposits and Rs 26,10,275 of total credit as on March 31, 2010.

In March 2009, the comparative figures for deposits and credit for the top hundred centres were Rs 27,24,996 crore and Rs 22,43,506 crore, respectively.

Among the major centres, Greater Mumbai came at the top with deposits of Rs 9,82,498 crore (growth of 22.6 per cent) and banks credit of Rs 8,52,311 crore (up 7.3 per cent) in the last quarter of 2009-10.

In second place was Delhi, with total deposits of Rs 5,60,675 crore (increase of 9.7 per cent) and bank credit of Rs 4,22,514 (up 20.3 per cent).

Bangalore came third as regards deposits of SCBs during the quarter under review with a growth of 14.5 per cent at Rs 1,86,432 crore.

On the credit side, Chennai was at the third slot with a total bank credit of SCBs at Rs 1,75,834 crore as on March 31, 2010, up 20.4 per cent from the same period previous year.

Nationalised banks accounted for 51.9 per cent share of the aggregate deposits at Rs 23,88,904 crore, while State Bank of India (SBI) and its associates accounted for 22.5 per cent or Rs 10,35,859 crore.

As regards gross bank credit, nationalised banks had 52 per cent or Rs 17,39,301 crore in the total bank credit. SBI and its associates had a share of 23.1 per cent or Rs 7,73,817 crore.