HomeCirculars › RBI/2009-10/168

Uniform NPA Reporting: Interest Reversal Mandated

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/168 · issued 24 Sep 2009 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI mandates uniform NPA reporting: banks must reverse uncollected interest on NPA accounts and stop further interest application. Gross advances exclude memorandum interest. This standardizes reporting across banks for better comparability.

What changed

RBI observed banks using different methods to compute and report advances and NPAs, leading to inconsistent interpretations. To ensure uniformity, RBI now mandates that on an account turning NPA, banks must reverse interest already charged but not collected by debiting P&L, and stop applying further interest. Accrued interest may be recorded in a memorandum account but excluded from gross advances.

What it means for you

Banks must align their NPA reporting to a single method, eliminating discretion in interest treatment. This improves transparency and comparability of asset quality across institutions. Lenders need to adjust systems to reverse interest on NPA classification and ensure memorandum interest is not counted in gross advances.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

All Scheduled Commercial Banks (including Local Area Banks, excluding RRBs), Risk management and credit teams, Finance and reporting departments, Auditors and compliance officers

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What happens to interest already charged but not collected when an account turns NPA?

Banks must reverse such interest by debiting the Profit and Loss account and stop applying further interest. Accrued interest can be recorded in a memorandum account but must not be included in gross advances.

Does this circular change the definition of Gross Advances?

Yes, for reporting purposes, Gross Advances exclude interest recorded in the memorandum account. The circular provides a standard format for computing advances and NPAs to ensure uniformity.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #1812: DBOD.No.BP.BC.46/21.04.048/2009-10 — "Prudential Norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning pertaining to Advances - Computation of NP”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2009-10/168 DBOD.No.BP.BC. 46 /21.04.048/2009-10 September 24, 2009 The Chairman and Managing Directors / Chief Executive officers All Scheduled Commercial Banks (including Local Area Banks) (Excluding RRBs) Dear Sir, Prudential Norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification, and Provisioning pertaining to Advances - Computation of NPA Levels Please refer to paragraphs 3.2, 3.4, and 3.5 of our Master Circular DBOD.No. BP.BC. 17/21.04.048/2009-10  dated July 1, 2009 on the captioned subject. 2. It has been observed that banks follow different methods to compute and report Gross and Net Advances, and Gross and Net NPAs. While, on an account turning NPA, some banks reverse the interest already charged, and stop further interest application, others prefer to make provisions in lieu of interest already credited to Profit and Loss account, and continue to debit interest, though it is credited to Interest Suspense account instead of to Profit and Loss account. While all the aforesaid methods in substance are the same, there is a need for uniformity across banks in reporting of Advances and NPAs, so as to avoid any scope for different interpretations by the auditors/public, as also to improve the comparability of Advances position of banks. 3. Therefore, in consultation with Indian Banks’ Association, it has been decided that: On an account turning NPA, banks should reverse the interest already charged and not collected by debiting Profit and Loss account, and stop further application of interest. However, banks may continue to record such accrued interest in a Memorandum account in their books, as is the practice currently followed by some banks. For the purpose of computing Gross Advances, interest recorded in the Memorandum account should not be taken into account. 4.  Banks are, therefore, advised to compute their Gross Advances, Net Advances, Gross NPAs and Net NPAs, as per the annexed format with immediate effect. Yours faithfully (B. Mahapatra) Chief General Manager Annex PART A Details of Gross Advances, Gross NPAs, Net Advances and Net NPAs (Rs. in crores up to two decimals)
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/168 · issued 24 Sep 2009. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=5290&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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