Indiabulls Housing Finance-Lakshmi Vilas Bank merger gets CCI nod

Indiabulls Housing Finance Friday said the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed merger of the company with Lakshmi Vilas Bank.

In April this year, Lakshmi Vilas Bank had announced its merger with Indiabulls Housing Finance in a share-swap deal with an intent to create a combined entity with larger capital base and wider geographical reach.

"The Competition Commission of India... at its meeting held on June 20, 2019, considered the proposed combination and approved the same," Indiabulls Housing Finance said in a BSE filing.

The board of Lakshmi Vilas Bank had approved the merger with Indiabulls Housing Finance in which shareholders of the bank will get 14 shares of Indiabulls Housing Finance for every 100 shares they hold.

The combined entity, with employee strength of 14,302, will have a loan book size of Rs 1.23 trillion for the first nine-month period of 2018-19.

After the proposed merger, Indiabulls Housing Finance will get access to low cost deposits, geographical diversification and expanded client-base and cross-selling opportunities.