Kolkata, May 16 (IANS) In view of rising non-performing assets of several banks, the private Bandhan Bank on Monday said it will be "choosy" in providing big ticket loans to sectors other than micro credit.
"We will be choosy in providing big ticket loans to sectors other than micro finance sector to keep our non-performing assets (NPAs) at the minimum," said bank managing director and chief executive officer Chandra Shekhar Ghosh.
"Of the gross advances of about Rs.15,494 crore as on March 31, we have lent Rs.156 crore to non-micro credit sectors in the first seven months of our operation," he said.
Under retail lending, the bank advanced Rs.10 crore to housing and loans against property segment while it lent Rs.3.16 crore to two wheeler segment, he said.
The private lender lent Rs.30 crore to five micro lenders under corporate lending banner, he said.
The gross NPA of the eight-month-old bank stood at 0.15 percent as on March 31 while its net NPA was at 0.08 percent.
"We are focusing on the sectors where we have the knowledge of the market. For example, we are lending to micro credit sector where, I do not think NPA will rise substantially," said Ghosh.
"We will go up step by step in providing loans to other sectors.
"Banks NPAs rose to sectors like infrastructure, real estate and so on. We are not operating in these segments," he said.
Through inter-bank participation certificates (IBPC), the city-based bank sold Rs.3,200 crore worth of priority sector loans to HDFC, IDBI and YES Bank in the fourth quarter of last fiscal, said Ghosh.
The bank which posted Rs.275 crore profit during the first seven months of banking operation tied up with two housing projects, one each in Siliguri in Darjeeling district of the state and Seuri in Birbhum district.
