Master Circular - Income Recognition, Asset Classification, Provisioning and Other Related Matters - UCBs

RBI/2025-26/14 DOR.STR.REC.10/21.04.048/2025-26 April 01, 2025

The Chief Executive Officers All Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks

Madam / Dear Sir,

Master Circular - Income Recognition, Asset Classification, Provisioning and Other Related Matters - UCBs

Please refer to our Master Circular DOR.STR.REC.9/21.04.048/2024-25 dated April 02, 2024 consolidating instructions / guidelines issued to banks till March 31, 2024 on matters relating to prudential norms on income recognition, asset classification and provisioning pertaining to advances.

2. Attached is the revised Master Circular, updated to reflect all instructions issued upto March 31, 2025 on the above matter, as listed in Annex 9. It may be noted that this Master Circular only consolidates all instructions on the above matter issued up to March 31, 2025 and does not contain any new instructions/guidelines.

Yours faithfully

(Vaibhav Chaturvedi) Chief General Manager

Encl: As above

Master Circular

Income Recognition, Asset Classification, Provisioning and Other Related Matters

Contents

1. General

1.1 In order to reflect a bank's actual financial health in its balance sheet and as per the recommendations made by the Committee on Financial System (Chairman Shri M. Narasimham), the Reserve Bank has introduced, in a phased manner, prudential norms for income recognition, asset classification and provisioning for the advances portfolio of the banks.

1.2 Broadly, the policy of income recognition should be objective and based on record of recovery rather than on any subjective considerations. Likewise, the classification of assets of banks has to be done on the basis of objective criteria, which would ensure a uniform and consistent application of the norms. The provisioning should generally be made on the basis of the classification of assets into different categories.

1.3 The requirements of the State Co-operative Societies Acts and / or rules made thereunder or other statutory enactments may continue to be followed, if they are more stringent than those prescribed hereby.

2. Non-performing Assets (NPA)

2.1 Classification of Assets as Non-Performing

2.1.1 A non-performing asset is a loan or an advance where:

• (i) Interest and / or installment of principal remain overdue^1 for a period of more than 90 days in respect of a Term Loan.
• (ii) The account remains 'out of order'^2, in respect of an Overdraft / Cash Credit (OD/CC) and all other loan products being offered as an overdraft facility, including those not meant for business purposes and/or which entail interest repayments as the only credits.
• (iii) The bill remains overdue for a period of more than 90 days in the case of bills purchased and discounted.
• (iv) In the case of direct agricultural advances as listed in Annex 1, the overdue norm specified at para 2.1.3 would be applicable. In respect of agricultural loans other than those specified in Annex 1, identification of NPAs would be done on the same basis as non-agricultural advances.
• (v) Any amount to be received remains overdue for a period of more than 90 days in respect of other accounts.
• (vi) In addition, an account may also be classified as NPA in terms of certain specific provisions of this Master Circular, including inter alia paragraphs 2.2.7 and clarifications provided under the frequently asked questions (FAQs) in Annex-4.

2.1.2 (A) The exact due dates for repayment of a loan, frequency of repayment, breakup between principal and interest, examples of SMA/NPA classification dates, etc. should be clearly specified in the loan agreement and the borrower should be apprised of the same at the time of loan sanction and also at the time of subsequent changes, if any, to the sanction terms/loan agreement till full repayment of the loan.

2.1.2 (B) Credit Card Accounts

In credit card accounts, the amount spent is billed to the card users through a monthly statement with a definite due date for repayment. Banks give an option to the card users to pay either the full amount or a fraction of it, i.e., minimum amount due, on the due date and roll-over the balance amount to the subsequent months’ billing cycle.

A credit card account will be treated as non-performing asset if the minimum amount due, as mentioned in the statement, is not paid fully within 90 days from the payment due date mentioned in the statement.

Banks shall report a credit card account as ‘past due’ to credit information companies (CICs) or levy penal charges, viz. late payment charges, etc., if any, only when a credit card account remains ‘past due’ for more than three days. The number of ‘days past due’ and late payment charges shall, however, be computed from the payment due date mentioned in the credit card statement.

2.1.3 Agricultural Advance

• (i) In respect of all direct agricultural advances, as specified in Annex 1:

  A loan granted for short duration crops will be treated as NPA, if the installment of principal or interest thereon remains overdue for two crop seasons.

  A loan granted for long duration crops will be treated as NPA, if the installment of principal or interest thereon remains overdue for one crop season.

• (ii) For the purpose of these guidelines, "long duration" crops would be crops with crop season longer than one year and crops, which are not "long duration" crops would be treated as "short duration" crops.

• (iii) The crop season for each crop, which means the period up to harvesting of the crops raised, would be as determined by the State Level Bankers' Committee in each state.

• (iv) Depending upon the duration of crops raised by an agriculturist, the above NPA norms would also be made applicable to agricultural term loans availed by him.

• (v) Banks should ensure that while granting loans and advances, realistic repayment schedules are fixed on the basis of cash flows / fluidity with the borrowers.