Tamilnad Mercantile Bank submits fresh names for MD, CEO post to RBI

At present, around 93 per cent of its business comes from the retail, agriculture, and micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sectors

Thoothukudi-based Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) has sent three names to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the positions of managing director (MD), chief executive officer (CEO), and executive director, sources said. The RBI is likely to make a decision in 90 days.

The fresh list was sent to the RBI after the central bank rejected the candidates proposed by the bank in April.

The move comes at a time when the more-than-a-century-old lender's former MD and CEO KV Rama Moorthy was inducted as the non-executive director to maintain continuity.

Moorthy was the chief of the bank during its initial public offering (IPO) in September 2022. After he stepped down, Krishnan Sankarasubramaniam took charge of operations, but resigned in September last year, citing personal reasons. This came a week after TMB had erroneously transferred ~9,000 crore to the bank account of a Chennai cab driver. The transaction was reversed immediately. 

At present, the bank has a three-member Committee of Executives (COEs) to oversee administration and operations, which includes S Narayanan, general manager (credit); D Ramesh, general manager (HR); and P R Ashok Kumar, general manager. The bank’s total business may touch ~1 trillion this financial year.

When asked about the inclusion of Moorthy, the source said: “He was instrumental in our IPO and had interacted with investors and analysts during that time. He understands the expectations of shareholders, and hence there will be continuity.” 

At present, around 93 per cent of its business comes from the retail, agri, and MSME (RAM) sectors. “We have a diversified basket because of this. Our bank mainly caters to small traders, and going forward, the RAM segment will contribute around 80-90 per cent of our business,” he added.