THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI NAMO NARAIN MEENA)
(a) & (b): The details of complaints regarding Direct Selling Agents/Recovery Agents
received against the Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) by the Offices of the Banking Ombudsman
and disposed off during the last three years are as under:
Bank Group 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 (July -Jan)
SBI & Associates 306 62 87 44
Nationalised banks 351 58 58 29
Private Sector Banks 669 928 223 111
Foreign Banks 228 658 83 38
Total 1554 1706 451 222
Disposed 1461 1604 428 182
Source : RBI The year represents the period from 01st July to 30th June.
(c to e) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued instructions, vide its Master Circular
dated July 01, 2011, on recovery of loans including vehicle loans and engagement and training
of recovery agents, methods to be followed by them, as well as for avoiding adoption of
uncivilized, unlawful and questionable behaviour of recovery agents during the process of
recovery, as banks are responsible for the acts of their agents. These are applicable to
all Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and even Primary Cooperative Banks.
Such complaints are reviewed by RBI on a case to case basis. In order to mitigate the
problems faced by the customers, banks and their agents are also required to follow the
‘Code of Bank’s Commitment to Customers’ issued by the Banking Codes and Standards Board
of India (BCSBI) and Fair Practice Code for the Lenders. Further, non-observance of RBI
guidelines on engagement of recovery agents by banks has been incorporated in the Banking
Ombudsman Scheme as a ground of complaint with effect from February 03, 2009.
