'Maximum complaints against SBI in FY'14 in TN, Puducherry'

Banking Ombudsman in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands received maximum complaints against country's largest lender SBI last fiscal.
The number of complaints received against SBI during 2013-14 was 1,953 compared to 1,664 in the previous year, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Banking Ombudsman U Chiranjeevi said today.
"State Bank of India (SBI) was the highest in number ofcomplaints we received due to deficiency in services," he told reporters here.
SBI was followed by two city-based public sector banks Indian Overseas Bank (739 cases) and Indian Bank (910 cases), he said.
Chiranjeevi said 66 per cent of the complaints registered against SBI were related to ATM, debit or credit cards while remaining was sanctioning of loans and related services.

Detailing the complaints received by his office in the period 2013-14, Chiranjeevi said it stood at 9,428 compared to last year (2012-13) cases of 7,255.

While 6,945 complaints were received in 2013-14, a total of 2,242 complaints came under non-maintenable cases as they were beyond the jurisdiction of Chennai office.
Giving a break-up of the total complaints received, he said, "complaints related to SBI and its associate banks were 26.40 per cent, 35.94 per cent against Nationalised banks (apart from SBI), private sector banks constituted 19.35 per cent".
Pensioners also faced deficiency in services as 4.79 per cent of the total complaints received were from senior citizens, he said.

He said card related issues were 21.73 per cent, issues related to loans and advances were 21.93 per cent, failure to meet commitments by banks comprised 22.67 per cent.
Some of the exemplary complaints received iclude auction of jewels pleged without proper intimation to customers, unilateral recovery of loan amount without prior intimation to customers despite paying EMI dues regularly, non-closure of loan accounts even after settling the loan amount, he said.
Chiranjeevi said pendency of cases in Chennai Ombudsman office dropped to 2.56 per cent (2013-14) from last year's 8.50 per cent (2012-13).