HDFC Bank and Centurion Bank of Punjab receive RBI approval for merger

The Reserve Bank of India has sanctioned the Scheme of Amalgamation of Centurion Bank of Punjab Ltd. with HDFC Bank Ltd. The Scheme has been sanctioned in exercise of the powers contained in Sub-section (4) of Section 44A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

All the branches of Centurion Bank of Punjab will function as branches of HDFC Bank with effect from May 23, 2008. With RBI’s approval, all requisite statutory and regulatory approvals for the merger have been obtained.

The combined entity would have a nationwide network of 1,167 branches; a strong deposit base of around Rs. 1,22,000 crores and net advances of around Rs. 89,000 crores. The balance sheet size of the combined entity would be over Rs. 1,63,000 crores.

HDFC Bank Board on 25th February 2008 has approved the acquisition of Centurion Bank of Punjab (CBoP) for Rs 9,510 crore in one of the largest merger in the financial sector in India. CBoP shareholders will get one share of HDFC Bank for every 29 shares held by them. This will be HDFC Bank’s second acquisition after Times Bank. ... Read more on HDFC Bank, Centurion merger


About HDFC Bank

Promoted in 1995 by Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), India's leading housing finance company, HDFC Bank is one of India's premier banks providing a wide range of financial products and services to its over 11 million customers across hundreds of Indian cities using multiple distribution channels including a pan-India network of branches, ATMs, phone banking, net banking and mobile banking. Within a relatively short span of time, the bank has emerged as a leading player in retail banking, wholesale banking, and treasury operations, its three principal business segments.

The bank's competitive strength clearly lies in the use of technology and the ability to deliver world-class service with rapid response time. Over the last 13 years, the bank has successfully gained market share in its target customer franchises while maintaining healthy profitability and asset quality.

As on March 31, 2008, the Bank had a network of 761 branches and 1,977 ATMs in 327 cities. For the year ended March 31, 2008, the bank reported a net profit of INR 15.90 billion (Rs.1590.2crore), up 39.3%, over the corresponding year ended March 31, 2007. As of March 31, 2008 total deposits were INR 1,007.69 billion, (Rs.100,769 crore) up 47.5% over the corresponding year ended March 31, 2007. Total balance sheet size too grew by 46.0% to INR 1,331.77 billion (133177 crore).

About Centurion Bank of Punjab:

Centurion Bank of Punjab is one of the leading new generation private sector banks in India. The bank serves individual consumers, small and medium businesses and large corporations with a full range of financial products and services for investing, lending and advice on financial planning. The bank offers its customers an array of wealth management products such as mutual funds, life and general insurance and has established a leadership 'position'. The bank is also a strong player in foreign exchange services, personal loans, mortgages and agricultural loans. Additionally the bank offers a full suite of NRI banking products to overseas Indians.

On 29th August 2007, Centurion Bank of Punjab merged with Lord Krishna Bank (LKB), post obtaining all requisite statutory and regulatory approvals. This merger has further strengthened the geographical reach of the Bank in major towns and cities across the country, especially in the State of Kerala, in addition to its existing dominance in the northern part of the country.

Centurion Bank of Punjab now operates on a strong nationwide franchise of 404 branches and 452 ATMs in 190 locations across the country, supported by employee base of over 7,500 employees. In addition to being listed on the major Indian stock exchanges, the Bank’s shares are also listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

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