HomeCirculars › RBI/2011-12/551

RBI Circular on Transfer of Borrowal Accounts from One Bank to Another (May 2012)

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/551 · issued 10 May 2012 · ~1 min read
Quick answerThis RBI circular dated May 10, 2012, requires banks to put in place a Board-approved policy for take-over of accounts from another bank and mandates sharing of credit information in a prescribed format between transferor and transferee banks.

What changed

The circular, issued under DBOD.No.BP.BC-104/21.04.048/2011-12 on May 10, 2012, introduces requirements for a Board-approved policy on take-over of accounts and mandates sharing of credit information in a prescribed format (Annex) between transferor and transferee banks, addressing complaints of inadequate due diligence.

What it means for you

Banks must establish a Board-approved policy for take-over of accounts, including norms on nature of accounts, authority levels, reporting, monitoring, credit audit, and staff accountability. Transferee banks must obtain credit information from transferor banks using the prescribed format before taking over an account, and transferor banks must share this information promptly.

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

Chairman and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of all scheduled commercial banks, Compliance and risk management teams handling account take-overs

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

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

What is the purpose of this circular?

To address complaints that critical information on borrowal accounts being taken over is not shared by transferor banks, and to mandate a Board-approved policy and credit information sharing in a prescribed format.

Who needs to take action on this circular?

Chairman and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of all scheduled commercial banks, along with compliance and risk management teams.

When was this circular issued?

May 10, 2012, under reference DBOD.No.BP.BC-104/21.04.048/2011-12.

📜 This document’s life story (2 recorded events, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Partially modified by Revitalising Distressed Assets: Refinancing & NPA Sale Rules
RBI’s words: “In partial modification to the above-mentioned circulars, banks are advised that if they refinance any existing infrastructure”
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #1345: DBOD.No.BP.BC-104/21.04.048/2011-12 — "Transfer of Borrowal Accounts from One Bank to Another" dated May 10, 2012”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/551 DBOD.No.BP.BC-104/21.04.048/2011-12 May 10, 2012 The Chairman and Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of All Scheduled Commercial Banks Dear Sir, Transfer of Borrowal Accounts from One Bank to Another Please refer to our circular IECD.No.20/08.12.01/97-98 dated December 2, 1997, in terms of which banks were advised to incorporate the necessary safeguards to be observed in the case of transfer of borrowal accounts from one bank to another as a part of their lending policy/procedures. 2. However, of late we have been receiving references/complaints that critical information on the health of the borrowal accounts being taken over is not being shared by the transferor bank with the transferee bank, resulting in inadequate due diligence at the time of taking over of accounts. 3. Therefore, we advise that: a) Banks should put in place a Board approved policy with regard to take-over of accounts from another bank. The policy may include norms relating to the nature of the accounts that may be taken over, authority levels for sanction of takeover, reporting of takeover to higher authorities, monitoring mechanism of taken over accounts, credit audit of taken over accounts, examination of staff accountability especially in case of quick mortality of such cases after takeover, periodic review of taken over accounts at Board /Board Committee level, Top Management level, etc. b) In addition, before taking over an account, the transferee bank should obtain necessary credit information from the transferor bank as per the format prescribed in our circular DBOD.No.BP.BC.94/ 08.12.001/2008-09 dated December 8, 2008 on “Lending under Consortium Arrangement/Multiple Banking Arrangements”. The format is furnished in Annex . This would enable the transferee bank to be fully aware of the irregularities, if any, existing in the borrower's account(s) with the transferor bank. The transferor bank, on receipt of a request from the transferee bank, should share necessary credit information as per the prescribed format at the earliest. Yours faithfully, (Deepak Singhal) Chief General Manager-in-Charge Annex Format for sharing credit information at the time of transfer of borrowal accounts Part - I Bio Data of the Company I.
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/551 · issued 10 May 2012. 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=7200&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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