Bengaluru: Indian state-run lender IDBI Bank Ltd posted a seventh straight quarterly loss on Tuesday, sending its shares lower, as the bank continues to be plagued by the highest bad loan ratio in the sector.
Indian banks have seen a surge in non-performing loans that hit a record $150 billion at the end of March, with 21 lenders, including IDBI, accounting for 86% of the pile.
IDBI’s gross bad loans as a percentage of total loans were 30.78% at the end of June, compared with 27.95% in the preceding quarter, and 24.11% a year earlier. Provision for bad loans jumped 145% to Rs 46.03 billion ($658.51 million).
The bank had in March outlined measures to curb the pile-up of soured assets, that included a reduction in lending to corporates and shutting down unprofitable branches.
Net loss widened to Rs 24.10 billion for the three months ended June 30, compared with a loss of Rs 8.53 billion a year earlier, the Mumbai-based bank said here.
Shares of the bank were trading marginally lower, after falling as much as 3.7% immediately after the results.
The federal cabinet earlier this month approved a planned takeover of IDBI Bank by state-run Life Insurance Corporation of India through sale of new shares in the lender, to help IDBI get capital to set aside bad loans and grow its lending.
(Reuters)