RBI prescibes uniform provisioning norm for fraud cases

Seeking to check fraud in banks, Reserve Bank today prescribed a uniform provisioning norm for all cases of fraud.
"The entire amount due to the bank (irrespective of the quantum of security held against such assets), or for which the bank is liable (including in case of deposit accounts), is to be provided for over a period not exceeding four quarters commencing with the quarter in which the fraud has been detected," RBI said in a notification.
However, where there has been delay in reporting the fraud to the RBI, the entire provisioning is required to be made at once, the central bank's notification added.

In addition, RBI may also initiate appropriate supervisory action where there has been a delay by the bank in reporting a fraud, or provisioning there against.
RBI has finalised a structure of Central Fraud Registry and will soon come up with guidelines to enable quick sharing of information about unscrupulous borrowers and help banks fight bad loans.
Presently, banks are advertising the list of wilful defaulters on their website and newspapers individually.

With setting up of this registry, list of all unscrupulous borrowers will be available on a single platform.
Banks can take advantage of the registry at the time of sanctioning loan by checking the credentials of a borrower from the registry, Deputy Governor SS Mundra said recently.

As per government data, public sector banks (PSBs) have reported over 2,100 fraud cases involving a sum of Rs 11,022 crore during April-December 2014-15.
PSU banks report fraud cases of Rs 1 lakh and above to banking regulator RBI.
In 2013-14 fiscal, there were 2,593 such cases involving an amount of Rs 7,542 crore.