SBI associate banks narrow losses to Rs 787 cr in Q3

Gross NPA rose marginally to Rs 52,890 cr at the end of Dec 2016 from Rs 51,380 cr in Sept 2016

Associate banks of State Bank of India (SBI) have sequentially reduced losses to Rs 787 crore in the third quarter ended December 2016 from combined loss of Rs 3,096 crore in the second quarter ended September 2016.

In the third quarter of last year (FY16), associate banks had booked loss of Rs 182 crore. SBI is slated to announce results for third quarter of FY17 on February 10, 2017.

The five associate banks had booked heavy combined loss in Q2 of the second quarter (September 2016), on a sharp rise in provisions for stressed loans. This was an outcome of aligning the treatment of weak and bad loans on the books of associates with those for the SBI group, ahead of the proposed merger with the parent.

Its provisions, predominantly for non-performing assets, in the third quarter sharply declined to Rs 2,994 crore from Rs 7,679 crore in July-September 2016. The provisions burden came down in the third quarter as much of cleaning was done in the first and second quarter, analysts said.

The gross non-performing assets rose marginally to Rs 52,890 crore at the end of December 2016 from Rs 51,380 crore in September 2016.

The five associate banks —State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of Patiala and Bharatiya Mahila Bank— were slated to merge with SBI by March 2017. However, merger plans now stand postponed to the first half of next financial year.