12 Nigerian Banks Pay N499bn Penalty for Inability to Meet Loan Ratio

12 Nigerian banks have been penalised for their inability to meet the new Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan ratio.

For failing to give out 60% of their deposits as loans, they have been debited a cumulative fine of N499 billion through their cash reserves held by the CBN.

The cash reserve is a portion of the banks’ deposits kept with the CBN for regulatory reasons.

In July, the CBN had increased the loan to deposit ratio to 60% saying: “Failure to meet the above minimum LDR by the specified date shall result in a levy of additional Cash Reserve Requirement equal to 50% of the lending shortfall of the target LDR”.

The banks affected by the penalty are:

• Citibank – N100,743,055,321
• First Bank of Nigeria – N74,668,880,480
• FBNQuest Merchant Bank – N2,697,456,144
• First City Monument Bank (FCMB) – N14,371,064,742
• Guaranty Trust Bank – N25,147,933, 628
• Jaiz Bank – N7,525,165,552
• Keystone Bank – N4,162,938, 879
• Rand Merchant Bank – N2,823,177,399
• Standard Chartered Bank – N30,027,137,984
• SunTrust Bank – N1,703,205,427
• United Bank for Africa – N99,676,181,916
• Zenith Bank – N135,629,337,625

On Tuesday, the CBN again raised the LDR to 65% and set a December deadline for banks.

The CBN said the newly revised LDR is informed by the noticeable growth in the level of the industry gross credit.

According to data provided by the CBN, the credit provided to businesses increased by N829.40 billion between the end of May and September 26.

The LDR policy is expected to encourage lending to small businesses and reduce banks’ appetite for investing in government securities like treasury bills.

CBN Directs Banks to Give 60% of Deposits as Loans