Union Bank of India becomes the first Public Sector Bank to join the Account Aggregator Ecosystem

 

The Account Aggregator Ecosystem framework went live in Sept 2021. The ecosystem helps lenders to leverage on digital data acquired by taking consent from the customers, providing them a seamless journey, and eliminating the need of physical documentation. FIU (Financial Information User) can request for data from the FIP (Financial Information User) based on a simple consent given by the customer on their Account Aggregator handle.

It is a defining moment for the AA ecosystem as Union Bank of India became the First Public Sector Bank to Go live on the Account Aggregator Framework. Union Bank will be both FIP (Financial Information Provider) and FIU (Financial Information Provider) enabling its customers to share data digitally on a real time basis. Union Bank of India has partnered with Perfios Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a Sahamati empanelled TSP, to implement a full-stack solution for Financial Information Providers (FIP) and Financial Information Users (FIU) as per the ReBIT guidelines on the bank’s premises.

Union Bank of India becomes the first Public Sector Bank to join the Account Aggregator Ecosystem

 

The Account Aggregator Ecosystem framework went live in Sept 2021. The ecosystem helps lenders to leverage on digital data acquired by taking consent from the customers, providing them a seamless journey, and eliminating the need of physical documentation. FIU (Financial Information User) can request for data from the FIP (Financial Information User) based on a simple consent given by the customer on their Account Aggregator handle.

It is a defining moment for the AA ecosystem as Union Bank of India became the First Public Sector Bank to Go live on the Account Aggregator Framework. Union Bank will be both FIP (Financial Information Provider) and FIU (Financial Information Provider) enabling its customers to share data digitally on a real time basis…

Covid-19 relief: You can defer 3 EMIs but that may be a very costly option

SBI informed customers that in some cases, deferring 3 EMIs on a home loan may force the borrower to pay 8 more EMIs

After RBI allowed commercial banks to provide their customers a moratorium of three months for repayment of term loans, public sector banks have sprung into action. Public sector banks have informed their customers about deferment of EMIs and interest dues to help soften the blow due the coronavirus crisis. The deferment may come at a price though.

The country’s largest lender State Bank of India on Wednesday warned borrowers that deferment of equated monthly instalments (EMIs) offered under the RBI’s relief package on account of COVID-19 could put an additional cost on them. The lender also advised borrowers to repay their loans if they are in a position to do the same. SBI said on its website that deferring the EMIs for a home loan of Rs 30 lakhs with a remaining maturity of 15 years, the net additional interest would be approximately Rs 2.34 lakhs, which is equal to eight EMIs. In other words, if customers defers three EMIs then they will end up paying 8 EMIs more.

Last week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) gave a relief package for retail borrowers and businesses, by way of announcing a three-month moratorium on payment of all term loans due between March 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020.The dispensation is aimed to mitigate the burden of debt servicing brought about by disruptions on account of COVID 19 pandemic and to ensure the continuity of viable businesses. “In terms of RBI COVID-19 regulatory package, SBI has initiated steps to defer the instalments and interest/EMIs on term loans falling due between March 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020 and extended the repaymentperiod by 3 months. The interest on working capital facilities for the period March 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020 is also deferred to June 30, 2020,” country”s largest lender SBI said.

How a potential $5 bn DHFL write-off can worsen the shadow bank crisis

The potential write-off would place an additional burden on Indian banks already struggling with $130 billion of bad loans, one of the highest levels in the world

India’s surprise seizure of a troubled shadow bank won’t end the woes of its lenders, faced with the risk of heavy write-offs if Dewan Housing Finance Corp. is declared a fraudulent account.

That’s because the Reserve Bank of India requires banks to provision fully for their entire exposure over four quarters if they decide a loan account involves fraud. The decision on Dewan will be based on a final report by the international accountancy firm KPMG on the firm’s lending practices, which is due to be submitted soon, according to bankers with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified further.

An interim KPMG study of Dewan’s books earlier this year cited anomalies including 165 billion rupees of loans to entities connected to the company’s founders, equivalent to just under half of the banks’ total exposure of 380 billion rupees ($5.3 billion) to the shadow lender.

“If Dewan is tagged as a fraud account that will create significant additional provisioning requirement and will further dent the profits of banks,” said Mitul Budhbhatti, the head of financial institutions at CARE Ratings Ltd. A total write-off would counter some of the optimism about efforts to contain the shadow banking crisis sparked by the Reserve Bank of India’s Wednesday move to remove Dewan’s management and initiate bankruptcy procedures. It would place an additional burden on Indian banks already struggling with $130 billion of bad loans, one of the highest levels in the world….

ATM transactions may get costlier as operators seek hike in inter-bank fees

The representation is being led by National Payments Corp of India after meetings were conducted separately for private and public sector lenders

 

 

economy news: In a move that might potentially add some more burden on the common man, the automated teller machine (ATM) operators, especially those of the private banks, are demanding a raise in inter-bank charges for ATM transactions, citing demonetisation, an increased cost of operating the channel, and fewer withdrawals.

The representation is being led by the National Payments Corp of India (NPCI) after meetings were conducted separately for private and public sector lenders.

The inter-bank fee is charged by one bank from another for use of its ATMs by the customers of the other. Any raise in this leads to increased cost burden for banks with smaller ATM networks. If banks pass on part of this cost to consumers, the number of free ATM transactions they are allowed to make in a month at their bank or other banks' ATMs might get reworked.

Also read : No charges on debit card transactions up to Rs 2,000: FinMin

According to a Livemint report, the demand for raising the rate is being led primarily by private sector banks. Some large public sector banks are against an increase as it would lead to higher costs for them.

A banker from one such large public sector bank was quoted as saying that their charges were already high and if they increased it further, they would be bound to lose. Once they have ascertained the costs, they would discuss it with the stakeholders and fix the rate, he added.

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Cyber attack on Union Bank of India is similar to Bangladesh heist - WSJ

The attempt closely resembled cybertheft last year of more than $81 mn from Bangladesh central bank

A cyber attack on Union Bank of India last July began after an employee opened an email attachment releasing malware that allowed hackers to steal the state-run bank's data, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

The attempt closely resembled the cybertheft last year of more than $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank's account at the New York Federal Reserve, the paper reported.

The opening of the email attachment, which looked like it had come from India's central bank, initiated the malware that hackers used to steal Union Bank's access codes for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), a system that lenders use for international transactions.

The codes were used to send transfer instructions for about $170 million to a Union Bank account at Citigroup Inc in New York.| read more....