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No merger right now, says ICICI
Our Banking Bureau
Mumbai, Sept 26: ICICI Ltd on Tuesday said that there is no immediate merger proposal with ICICI Bank as of now. Said ICICI Ltd's senior general manager, Kalpana Morporia: "There is no proposal at all for a merger with ICICI Bank right now. Nobody is disputing that eventually there will be a merger, but nothing is on right now". Ms Morporia said that the scheduled meeting with the central bank on October 5 next month is a routine one that the institution has with the regulator. "There has been a discussion paper on universal banking, and we intend being a universal bank. We will, among other things, take up the issue of universal banking with the central bank on the 5th of next month, but it is in no way a specific meeting to seek approval for a merger".A reverse-merger between ICICI Ltd and ICICI Bank has long been a subject of speculation, more so after a discussion paper on the subject. Other similar mergers are also happening between HDFC and HDFC Bank; and between IDBI and IDBI Bank. Ms Morporia, while ruling out the merger for now, also pointed out that any such move would require clearance by its board. "As of now, the only board meeting scheduled ahead of 5th October is one that will take note of the institution's half-yearly results. No merger proposal finds mention on the agenda". Independent observers also pointed out that for a merger of this nature to go through, issues pertaining to maintenance of reserve requirements also need to be clarified. Financial institutions (FIs) do not maintain a cash reserve ratio (CRR) and a statutory liquidity ratio (SLR). A merger with a bank will entail doing so under the Banking Regulation Act. Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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