RBI slaps penalties on Bank of India, Karnataka Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Thursday that it has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 5 crore on Bank of India. According to the regulator, the penalty was imposed for non-compliance with certain norms pertaining to the provisions of the directions issued by it on "Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning pertaining to Advances-Divergence in NPA accounts", "Opening of current accounts by banks -- Need for discipline", and "Classification and reporting of frauds".

"This action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers," it said.

In another case, RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.20 crore on Karnataka Bank Ltd for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by it on "Prudential Norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning Pertaining to Advances-Divergence in NPA Accounts" and "Prudential norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning pertaining to Advances".

Similarly, a fine of Rs 30 lakh has been imposed on Saraswat Cooperative Bank Ltd for non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI on "Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms", the RBI said in a statement.

The RBI also announced to extend the special directions issued to Pune-based Rupee Co-operative Bank till August 31. The RBI had imposed restrictions on the bank in February 2013 following deterioration in its financials.

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"The aforesaid extension and/or modification by the Reserve Bank of India should not per-se be construed to imply that Reserve Bank of India is satisfied of substantive improvement in the financial position of the bank," it said.