Pursuant to the announcements made by the Governor of RBI on March 22, 2020, the RBI has issued 2 circulars to effect those announcements with respect to the COVID Regulatory Package.
(i) Rescheduling of Payments – Term Loans and Working Capital Facilities
All commercial banks (including regional rural banks, small finance banks and local area banks), co-operative banks, All-India Financial Institutions, and Non-banking Financial Companies (including housing finance companies) (“lending institutions”) are permitted to extend the moratorium by another 3 (three) months i.e. from June 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020 on payment of all instalments in respect of term loans (including agricultural term loans, retail and crop loans). Accordingly, the repayment schedule for such loans as also the residual tenor, will be shifted across the board. Interest shall continue to accrue on the outstanding portion of the term loans during the moratorium period.
In respect of working capital facilities sanctioned in the form of cash credit/overdraft (“CC/OD”), lending institutions are permitted to allow a deferment of another three months, from June 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020, on recovery of interest applied in respect of all such facilities. Lending institutions are permitted, at their discretion, to convert the accumulated interest for the deferment period up to August 31, 2020, into a funded interest term loan (FITL) which shall be repayable not later than March 31, 2021.
(ii) Easing of Working Capital Financing
In respect of working capital facilities sanctioned in the form of CC/OD to borrowers facing stress on account of the economic fallout of the pandemic, lending institutions may, as a one-time measure,
(a) recalculate the ‘drawing power’ by reducing the margins till August 31, 2020. However, in all such cases where such a temporary enhancement in drawing power is considered, the margins shall be restored to the original levels by March 31, 2021; and/or,
(b) review the working capital sanctioned limits upto March 31, 2021, based on a reassessment of the working capital cycle.
The above measures shall be contingent on the lending institutions satisfying themselves that the same is necessitated on account of the economic fallout from COVID-19. Further, accounts provided relief under these instructions shall be subject to subsequent supervisory review with regard to their justifiability on account of the economic fallout from COVID-19.
(iii) Asset Classification
The conversion of accumulated interest into FITL and the changes in the credit terms permitted to the borrowers to specifically tide over economic fallout from COVID-19 with respect to (ii) above, will not be treated as concessions granted due to financial difficulty of the borrower and consequently, will not result in asset classification downgrade.
In respect of accounts classified as standard as on February 29, 2020, even if overdue, the moratorium period, wherever granted in respect of term loans, shall be excluded by the lending institutions from the number of days past-due for the purpose of asset classification under the IRAC norms. The asset classification for such accounts shall be determined on the basis of revised due dates and the revised repayment schedule. Similarly, in respect of working capital facilities sanctioned in the form of cash credit/overdraft (“CC/OD”), where the account is classified as standard, including SMA, as on February 29, 2020, the deferment period, wherever granted shall be excluded for the determination of out of order status.
(iv) Extension of Timelines for Resolution
In respect of accounts which were within the Review Period as on March 1, 2020, the period from March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020 shall be excluded from the calculation of the 30-day timeline for the Review Period. In respect of all such accounts, the residual Review Period shall resume from September 1, 2020, upon expiry of which the lenders shall have the usual 180 days for resolution.
In respect of accounts where the Review Period was over, but the 180-day resolution period had not expired as on March 1, 2020, the timeline for resolution shall get extended by 180 days from the date on which the 180-day period was originally set to expire.
The requirement of making additional provisions under the Prudential Framework shall be triggered as and when the extended resolution period, as stated above, expires.
Source: luthra
