RBI Imposes Rs 90.92 Lakh Penalty on Axis Bank, Rs 42.78 Lakh Fine on Manappuram Finance
News 18The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday imposed a penalty of Rs 90.92 lakh on Axis Bank for non-compliance with its certain directions. The RBI has also slapped a fine of Rs 42.78 lakh on Manappuram Finance Ltd. “The Reserve Bank of India has, by an order dated November 02, 2023, imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 90.92 lakh on Axis Bank Ltd for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Reserve Bank of India ) Directions, 2016’, ‘Loans and Advances – Statutory and Other Restrictions’, ‘Guidelines on Managing Risks and Code of Conduct in Outsourcing of Financial Services by banks’ and ‘Code of Conduct for Opening and Operating Current Accounts’,” the RBI said in a statement. The examination revealed that “the bank failed to preserve records pertaining to the identification of customers and their address in certain cases, made persistent calls to some of the customers, failed to ensure appropriate behaviour of recovery agents with some of the delinquent borrowers and failed to ensure a tape recording of the content/text of the calls made by the recovery agents to some of the customers and did not obtain declarations from the customer at the time of opening of current accounts.” Following this, the RBI sent a notice to Axis Bank advising it to show cause as to why a penalty should not be imposed on it for failure to comply with the directions issued by RBI. Meanwhile, on the penalty on Manappuram Finance Ltd, the RBI in a statement said it has slapped a fine of Rs 42.78 lakh “for non-compliance with certain provisions of the ‘Non-Banking Financial Company – Systemically Important Non-Deposit taking Company and Deposit taking Company Directions, 2016′”. “After considering the company’s reply to the notice, additional submissions made by it and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI came to the conclusion that the charge of non-compliance with the aforesaid RBI directions were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty,” the RBI said.