News / SC striking down RBI circular not good for banks, may delay debt resolution

Moody's resolution of stressed loans impacted by circular will be further delayed. The bankers had asked some relaxation in one-day default norms. RBI did not budge and challenged it in the Supreme Court last year. The circular had significantly tightened stressed loan recognition and resolution for large borrowers. There are a host of willful defaults and frauds still under the IBC with by resolution professionals.

Moody's also said the resolution of stressed loans impacted by the circular will be further delayed as the process may have to be started afresh. The bankers had asked some relaxation in the one-day default norms of the February 12 circular but without any success. This led 34 power producers to drag the regulator first to the Allahabad High Court, which asked RBI to offer some respite, but the RBI did not budge and challenged it in the Supreme Court last year.

Domestic rating agency Icra in a note said the circular removed discretion with banks on the resolution on stressed accounts by requiring them to compulsorily implement a resolution plan in a time-bound manner or refer the affected borrowers under Bankruptcy Code for resolution.

"Despite quashing of the circular, banks will continue to have an option to refer such defaulting borrower under IBC, in case the resolution plans fail," Icra said. The agency had estimated total debt impacted due to the February 12 circular to be around Rs 3.8 lakh crore across 70 large borrowers of which Rs 2 lakh crore across 34 borrowers were in the power sector.

It had said that 92 per cent of this debt has been classified as non-performing by banks as of March 2018 and also made provisions of over 25-40 per cent on these accounts. "Hence the quashing of circular should not impact the reported asset quality of profitability numbers, however, the resolution process, which was expected to be expedited, may get delayed," Icra said.