Jammu & Kashmir Bank says no customer data lost in floods

Mumbai, Sep 12: Seeking to assuage concerns, Jammu & Kashmir Bank said its data centres and records have not been impacted by the worst floods in the state in over a century, but admitted that nearly 200 of its branches continue to be out of bounds.

"No depositors and stakeholders need to worry. We have back-ups of the data centres in Gurgaon and Noida which have been activated. All the data are safe," chairman and chief executive Mushtaq Ahmad told PTI over phone.

The bank stock, which rose 1.41 per cent to Rs 151.40 today on the BSE, had taken a beating during the week where it started trading at Rs 169 on Monday. Ahmad said only two of the seven zones of the bank in the state, namely Srinagar and Anantnag, have been impacted by the floods which started last week, while the Baramulla zone is partially impacted.

While the bank has been able to revive operations at 115 branches in the impacted zone, around 200 branches still remain down, he said, adding efforts are on to revive all the branches as the waters recede. The bank has around 700 branches out of which around 300 are in the Kashmir Valley alone, he said.

Additionally, Ahmad said many of its branches are located on the first floor, which has helped the bank. Ahmad admitted that the bank's asset quality, which has already been a nagging trouble, may come under pressure for some time but quickly added that the Reserve Bank's policy of allowing special dispensations for regions affected by natural calamities will help.

He, however, asserted that the bank is committed to help in the reconstruction efforts which will launched after the floods. The J&K government-owned bank's total exposure to its home state, spread across the seven zones, is Rs 20,000 crore at present, that accounts for 43 per cent of the total book, he said.

Because of the floods, there may be some temporary shifts in the outstanding credit wherein the composition of outside J&K may move up, he said, adding it will gradually come back to the current levels once the reconstruction efforts start in full swing.

Meanwhile, the bank and its life insurance venture PNB Metlife, claim processing camps for the state following the worst natural disaster in the state's history.

The camps aim to ensure hassle-free claim settlement for the customers across the valley.

PTI