The bank's capital buffers have weakened due to the its merger with Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank earlier this year
Public sector Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) on Tuesday said the government has okayed infusion of Rs 5,500 crore capital into the bank in lieu of preferential allotment of shares. The bank is in receipt of letter dated November 10, 2020 from the Ministry of Finance regarding sanction to infuse an amount of Rs 5,500 crore, it said in a regulatory filing. The capital infusion, the lender said, is towards the contribution of the central government in the preferential allotment of equity shares of the bank during financial year 2020-21. The government's shareholding in the bank as of September 30, 2020 stood at 83.06 per cent, as per data on BSE. Stock of PSB closed 3.50 per cent higher at Rs 11.23 apiece on BSE on Tuesday.
Average spreads on the lenders' AAA rated five-year bonds rose for the first time in four months in September
In August 2019, the Finance Ministry had announced capital infusion of Rs 3,800 crore which was later increased by Rs 560 crore
Infusion of the capital into the bank by the government comes ahead of the merger with Indian Bank, which is expected to help the bank meet the regulatory requirement to get amalgamated.
Following capital infusion in these listed public sector banks, name;y Dena Bank, IDBI Bank and Bank of India, the government's respective stakes would rise in them