Amalgamation has led to all-round gains for merged entity: Indian Bank MD

In a Q&A, Padmaja Chundru says issues like equal stature of Allahabad Bank and Indian Bank and retirement of 10 GMs were addressed fairly with continuous communication with staff and customers

Despite the pandemic and other challenges, Allahabad Bank's amalgamation with Indian Bank concluded smoothly, with the final technical merger (software integration) last month, says Padmaja Chundru, managing director and CEO, Indian Bank. Chundru spoke to T E Narasimhan about how the bank addressed the pandemic and the way forward for the combined entity. Edited excerpts:

Q. How easy or difficult was it to conclude the amalgamation, especially in the backdrop of pandemic?

It was felt that the merger of Allahabad Bank (AB) with Indian Bank (IB) would be tough (vis-à-vis other banking mergers announced by the government in parallel), as