RBI imposes penalties on five co-operative banks for non-compliance

RBI said that the penalties are based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance & is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction entered into by the banks with their customers

The Reserve Bank has imposed penalties on five cooperative banks, including Rs 25 lakh on The Karnataka State Co-operative Apex Bank, Bengaluru, for deficiencies in regulatory compliance.

The penalty on The Karnataka State Co-operative Apex Bank Ltd has been imposed for non-compliance with directions on "Housing Finance", the RBI said in a statement.

In another statement, it said a fine of Rs 15 lakh has been imposed on Thane Bharat Sahakari Bank Limited, Thane, for non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on 'Customer Protection - Limiting Liability of Customers of Co-operative Banks in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions'.

A fine of Rs 5 lakh has been imposed on Rani Laxmibai Urban Co-operative Bank, Jhansi, as it failed to adhere to specific directions issued to it by RBI under Supervisory Action Framework (SAF), the central bank said.

The RBI has also imposed a Rs 2 lakh penalty on The Nicholson Co-operative Town Bank (No.8), Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu for violation of directions issued under Exposure Norms and Statutory/Other Restrictions UCBs.

A fine of Rs 10,000 has been imposed on The Urban Co-operative Bank, Rourkela for contravention of norms related to the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund.

The RBI also said that the penalties are based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the banks with their customers.