HDFC Cracks Down on 'Temporary' Deposits

Lender warns staff over misuse of cash credit, overdraft to inflate deposits

- Shayan Ghosh & Utpal Bhaskar

India's largest private sector lender is cracking down on the practice of using temporary deposits at the end of reporting quarters to shore up numbers. HDFC Bank Ltd has sent multiple emails to employees, the latest one in late March, stating this would not be tolerated. Mint has seen a copy of the March-end email that notes the practice of creating deposits by using the bank's own loan facilities.

"During (the) bank's due diligence check, temporary creation of CASA/TD (current account and savings account/term deposits) has been identified by utilizing CCOD (cash credit, overdraft) without observable business logic/requirements," it said.

As per HDFC Bank's website, cash credit (CC) is a short-term loan offered to companies, businesses and financial institutions for working capital requirements. On the other hand, an overdraft (OD) facility refers to the credit funding offered by banks to individuals and companies.