Personal banks go sluggish on rising their company mortgage ebook as a consequence of decrease yields

Giant and mid-sized personal banks are going sluggish on rising their company mortgage ebook as a consequence of decrease yields and are specializing in rising their increased yield producing retail mortgage ebook extra, senior bankers mentioned.

“From a relationship perspective, we would like all of those prime corporates with us, however from a pricing perspective now we have seen some disruption over the previous couple of quarters and so we aren’t going to bid, we aren’t going to compete on pricing to win over these loans. We would like these relationships, however not essentially at discount costs,” mentioned HDFC Financial institution CFO Srinivasan Vaidyanathan in a post-earnings name.

HDFC Financial institution’s wholesale mortgage ebook grew 11% year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs 4.04 trillion as of June 30, however de-grew sequentially by 1-2%, the CFO mentioned. On the identical time, retail advances grew 18% y-o-y and 4% sequentially to Rs 6.57 trillion as of June-end. Consequently, whereas the share of retail loans in total advances elevated to 47% as of June-end from 44% a 12 months in the past, that of wholesale loans decreased to 53% from 56% in the identical interval.

Whereas the pattern is just not uniform, the speed of progress in company loans has fallen for each ICICI Financial institution and Kotak Mahindra Financial institution as compared with total retail advances progress, in keeping with the banks’ investor shows.

Sure Financial institution noticed its excellent fund-based company mortgage ebook falling to Rs 49,520 crore as of June 30 from Rs 69,948 crore a 12 months in the past. Fund-based lending entails granting loans, overdrafts or different cash switch to a company, whereas non-fund-based publicity contains financial institution ensures, letters of credit score and bonds. Sure Financial institution selected to develop its non-fund primarily based company ebook extra in Q1 because it rose from Rs 50,079 crore throughout Q1FY23 to Rs 55,762 crore in Q1FY24.

In response to the financial institution’s Q1 investor presentation, letters of credit score and financial institution ensures shaped Rs 47,000 crore of the excellent non-fund primarily based company ebook. Sure Financial institution MD & CEO Prashant Kumar mentioned the lender wouldn’t prefer to underwrite company loans at pricing that doesn’t make business sense. The financial institution will first have a look at whether or not it is smart to go for non-fund primarily based publicity or a mixture of fund-based and non-fund primarily based publicity.

“Undoubtedly there is a matter when it comes to pricing mismatch (for company loans), when it comes to expectations and the place we’d be capable of do it. I feel the right threat pricing is one thing which we’d not prefer to compromise,” Kumar mentioned.

Whereas the rate of interest charged to corporates is in a distinct vary for every financial institution, Kumar mentioned broadly for a AAA-rated company the expectation is 8-8.25% yield whereas for A-rated corporates it isn’t greater than 8.5%-8.75%. Whereas ranking is a parameter in assessing mortgage pricing, the sector that the financial institution is lending in the direction of additionally issues, he mentioned. Kumar mentioned, the yield on a BBB-rated company firm is 9.25-9.5%.

“It’s extra of a contest the place banks are prepared to underwrite loans at this value. That (mispricing) could occur as a result of each time there’s a competitors and other people want to develop in a specific phase, you can’t rule out the opportunity of mispricing of threat,” the Sure Financial institution MD mentioned.

RBL Financial institution MD & CEO R Subramaniakumar shared related views. He informed FE that the financial institution’s technique on company mortgage progress is just not pushed by the pricing, however on value of funds. Because the financial institution’s value of funds is round 6%, it’s already paying a little bit extra as deposit value and thus can not afford low-yield giant company lending.

“We’re shifting in the direction of business corporates, that’s the medium and mid-sized industries, the place now we have a barely higher margin than what we get at corporates,” he mentioned. He mentioned the financial institution will as a substitute deal with rising within the tier-2 and tier-3 cities the place smaller business companies are situated.

RBL Financial institution’s wholesale loans rose 8% y-o-y, however contracted 1% sequentially to Rs 32,221 crore as of June-end. Retail loans, in the meantime, grew 34% y-o-y and eight% on a quarterly foundation to Rs 40,866 crore as of June-end.