SBI, 14 other banks to get Rs 16k-cr funds by March

About two months after the Moody's downgraded outlook on Indian banks on concerns over asset quality, the finance ministry has proposed to infuse Rs 15,000-16,000 crore (Rs 150-160 billion) in about 15 public sector banks by March 31, 2012.

More than one-third of this amount (Rs 6,000 crore or Rs 60 billion) is likely to go to the country's largest lender, State Bank of India, while the demand for most other banks is less than Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) each.

SBI saw its financial strength rating cut by Moody's earlier this fiscal.

Those who are not likely to get capital infustion include Canara Bank and Central Bank of India.

To shore up the capital base of public sector banks amid rising bad loans, the Department of Financial Services, is seeking an additional Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) in the third supplementary demand for grants to be tabled in the Budget session of Parliament in February, which might further distrub the fiscal consolidation story.

The Budget had provided for Rs 6,000 crore (60 billion) for bank recapitalisation in 2011-12 and nothing from this has been given to banks yet.

"We need to strengthen the capital base of our banks at a time when non-performing assets are rising.

"Almost all banks will be recapitalised, including those which have a tier I capital (core capital including equity and disclosed reserves) of 8 per cent and above," said a finance ministry official.

The department has written to the banks asking them to take all necessary approvals and be prepared for capital infusion after Parliament's approval is received by the end of the financial year.

However, another official in the Department of Economic Affairs, which will sanction the requirements, said a final decision on actual requirement of banks this year would be taken after looking at the capital adequacy ratio and tier I of the banks at the end of quarter ending December 31, 2011.

CAR or a ratio of bank's capital to its risks signifies a bank's health.

The higher the CAR, the better is the financial condition of the bank.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has repeatedly said that the government was committed to 8 per cent Tier I capital, core measure of a bank's financial strength, in all public sector banks by March 2012.

Another official said since the government's fiscal situation was tight only those banks would be capitalized which have a tier I of 8 per cent or lower in December-end.

Globally the tier I requirement is only 4 per cent, but in India the regulator has fixed it at 6 per cent and the government wants it higher at 8

per cent to provide adequate buffer.

For CAR, the regulatory requirement is 9 per cent, but the government wants it above 12 per cent.

The Planning commission has already given its approval for a Plan allocation of Rs 14,000 crore (Rs 140 billion) for bank recapitalisation this year.

Last year also the government had infused over Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) in banks.

Meanwhile, a committee headed by Finance Secretary Rs Gujral, has assessed the capital infusion needs of state-run banks over the next 10 years.

The report, awaiting the approval of the finance minister, is expected to be released next month.

The panel may suggest a holding company structure which can raise money globally to meet the capital requirements of banks.

However, the government would not take that route to infuse capital this year since there is very little time left.

Capital infusion became critical for Indian banks after Moody's downgraded outlook on the banks to 'negative' from 'stable' over concerns that domestic monetary tightening and a potential global economic crisis would severely affect their profitability and asset quality.

NPAs rose 34 per cent in July-Sep 2011.

It had also lowered SBI's financial strength rating in view of its deteriorating asset quality.

SBI was earlier planning to come up with a right issue of Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion), but the government was not willing to subscribe to the issue given its fiscal situation.

The Centre's fiscal deficit has already toched 6.7 per cent of GDP in the first half of this fiscal.

For the first seven months, fiscal deficit stood at over 74 per cent of the Budget target for the entire 2011-12.

The target is to rein in fiscal deficit to 4.6 per cent of GDP in this financial year against 4.7 per cent in the last fiscal.