PNB to Sell NPAs Worth Rs 5,000 Cr to ARCs

New Delhi, Aug 10 (PTI) In a bid to shore up recovery, the country's second-largest public sector lender Punjab National Bank (PNB) has identified about 100 non-performing asset (NPA) accounts for sale to asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) during the current financial year.

"More than 100 accounts we have identified...the book size will be somewhere around Rs 4,000-5,000 crore. That is the outstanding book (for sale to ARCs)," PNB MD and CEO Ashok Chandra told PTI in an interview.

Asked about the amount the bank can realise from the sale, he said, "We expect to recover something in the range of 40-50 per cent minimum. Through that route also, we are expecting a good recovery should happen this financial year".

There may be an account where 100 per cent recovery is also going to take place because you have good security now, but in some cases it could be low, he said, adding that "we are anticipating that average recovery should be 40-50 per cent minimum".

Chandra also said the bank has devised the right strategies to touch a milestone of Rs 30 lakh crore total business by the end of the current financial year.

The total business of PNB rose by 11.6 per cent to Rs 27.19 crore at the end of the first quarter of the current financial year. It is closely followed by Bank of Baroda with a total business of Rs 26.43 lakh crore and Canara Bank at Rs 25.64 lakh crore at the end of June 30, 2025.

"We have a target of Rs 29.56 lakh crore for the current financial year. We may do better than our target and can touch Rs 30 lakh crore by March next year, but let me add that we are very mindful that whatever the top line, we are going to build, it should add profit to my bank," he said.

He emphasised that PNB is very conscious of the operating profit, and even in the first quarter itself, the bank has recorded the highest ever operating profit of Rs 7,081 crore.

"Whether it is deposit mobilisation or the corporate loan book, everything should add to the bottom line of the bank. So, that is the reason now, bulk deposits have been brought down and the corporate deposits have curtailed to a great extent," he said.

Sharing the strategy to achieve the goal, Chandra said the bank targets a minimum 11-12 per cent credit growth and 9-10 per cent deposit growth in FY26.

"We have a good pipeline of corporate loan book of Rs 1.29 lakh crore, which is in various stages of disbursement. There has been muted growth in the past, as there was a low-yielding advanced corporate loan book. We have shed that. Now, we are very mindful that whatever loan book we are going to build, it should make a good contribution to operating profit," he said.

Chandra expressed confidence that there will be at least a double-digit digit from Q2 onwards as far as the corporate loan segment is concerned.

He also highlighted that the lender is very aggressive in corporate lending and has provided confidence to corporate borrowers that decisions will be taken within 15 days.

"Anything which comes to the head office, within 15 days, we are going to communicate the decision. This has given a lot of confidence to the corporates," he said.

The bank is also aggressive as far as project finance is concerned, he said, adding that, "We have created a dedicated cell, which is headed by a General Manager, for the project financing.

In the MSME segment, he said, the bank has grown at 17-18 per cent and that growth will continue, while core retail loans in housing, vehicle and education would also continue to grow at 17 per cent.

Stressing that agriculture is a important component for the bank now, he said, "There is one component that is self help group, where we have put lot of focus, and we are seeing that this year, at least 30-40 per cent growth should happen in self help group portfolio, because that constitutes my small and marginal farmer category and forms part of priority sector lending."

The bank is also putting a lot of focus on the food processing sector and infrastructure-related facilities like godowns and cold storage for the rural areas, he added.

In a bid to promote lending, the bank has been holding loan outreach programmes for various segments, including MSME and agriculture, at regular intervals.