Rating Rationale
January 31, 2019 | Mumbai
Oriental Bank of Commerce
Ratings Reaffirmed 
 
Rating Action
Fixed Deposits Programme  FAA+/Stable (Reaffirmed)
Rs.35000 Crore Certificate of Deposits   CRISIL A1+ (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its 'FAA+/Stable/CRISIL A1+' ratings on the fixed deposits programme and certificate of deposits programme of Oriental Bank of Commerce (Oriental Bank).
 
The ratings continue to reflect the strong expectation of support to the bank from majority owner, Government of India (GoI). The strength is partially offset by the bank's weak asset quality and modest earnings.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the ratings, CRISIL has considered the standalone business and financial risk profiles of Oriental Bank, and factored in the support the bank is likely to receive from GoI. This is because GoI is both the majority shareholder in public sector banks (PSBs) and the guardian of India's financial system.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths:
* Strong expectation of support from GoI:
The rating continues to factor in the expected strong government support, both on an ongoing basis and in the event of distress, given that GoI is both the majority shareholder in PSBs and the guardian of India's financial system. The stability of the banking sector is of prime importance to GoI, given the criticality of the sector to the economy, the strong public perception of sovereign backing for PSBs, and the severe implications of any PSB failure in terms of political fallout, systemic stability, and investor confidence in public sector institutions. CRISIL believes the majority ownership creates a moral obligation on GoI to support PSBs, including Oriental Bank. GoI infused Rs 5500 crore in the bank in fiscal 2019 till December 2018 (Rs 3571 in fiscal 2018). Supported by the capital infusion, the bank's tier-1 and overall capital adequacy ratio (under Basel III) improved to 9.53% and 12.62%, respectively, as on December 31, 2018, from 7.61% and 10.50%, respectively, as on March 31, 2018.
 
Weaknesses
* Weak asset quality:
Oriental Bank's asset quality is improving, but remains weak. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) declined to 15.82% as on December 31, 2018, from 17.63% as on March 31, 2018. Slippages stood at 5.45% (annualised) for the nine months through December 2018, and are primarily from the bank's large corporate exposure to vulnerable sectors such as iron and steel, infrastructure, and construction. The bank has increased its focus on recoveries (including through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code [IBC] route) and resolving asset quality challenges. CRISIL expects asset quality to gradually improve over the medium term. Nonetheless, ability to arrest slippages and improve recovery will remain a key rating monitorable.
 
* Modest earnings:
Earnings will remain weak over the near to medium term because of high provisioning cost. The bank reported a loss before tax of Rs 3,634 crore for the nine months ended December 31, 2018, (loss before tax of Rs 6,094 crore for fiscal 2018). However, the loss after tax was lower at Rs 147 crore on account of recognition of deferred tax assets of Rs 3410 crore and tax write back of Rs 77 crore for the period. The bank made significant provisioning in the third quarter of fiscal 2019 with provisions increasing to Rs 4,082 crore in the quarter through December 2018 from Rs 832 crore in the previous quarter. Consequently, the provisioning coverage ratio (excluding technical write-offs) increased to 59% as on December 31, 2018, from 46% as on September 30, 2018 (45% as on March 31, 2018). The bank's NPA ratio declined to 7.15% as on December 31, 2018, from 10.07% in the previous quarter.
 
Credit cost is expected to remain high over the next few quarters, given the increasing provisioning requirement for stressed assets. Ability to arrest deterioration in asset quality, the resultant provisioning cost, and its impact on profitability will remain key rating monitorables over the medium term.
Liquidity

The bank has adequate liquidity, supported by a sizeable retail deposit base that forms a significant part of the total deposits. Liquidity coverage ratio was 107% as on December 31, 2018, against the regulatory requirement of 90%. The excess statutory liquidity was Rs 5565 crore (2.59%) as on that date. The bank's liquidity also benefits from access to systemic sources of funds such as the liquidity adjustment facility from the Reserve Bank of India, access to the call money market, and refinance limits from sources such as National Housing Bank and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes Oriental Bank will continue to benefit from strong support from GoI, especially given the recent recapitalisation announcement. However, CRISIL expects the bank's asset quality and profitability to remain under pressure over the medium term.

Upside scenario:
Significant and sustained improvement in profitability and asset quality

Downside scenario:
Significant deterioration in asset quality or earnings

About the Bank

Founded in February 1943, Oriental Bank is a medium-sized PSB, with assets aggregating Rs 246422 crore and a network of 2,387 branches as on December 31, 2018. With deposits of Rs 208,490 crore and gross advances of Rs 153,942 crore, the bank had a market share of 1.73% in deposits and 1.60% in advances in the banking system, as on this date. The bank was placed under Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) prompt corrective action (PCA) in October 2017; in January 2019, RBI removed restrictions placed under the PCA framework subject to certain conditions and close monitoring.
 
For fiscal 2018, the bank reported a net loss of Rs 5,872 crore and total income (net of interest) of Rs 7,293 crore against a net loss of Rs 1,094 crore in the previous fiscal. For the first nine months of fiscal 2019, the bank reported a net loss of Rs 147 crore and total income (net of interest) of Rs 5,735 crore, against a net loss of Rs 4,222 crore and total income (net of interest) of Rs 5,756 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

Key Financial Indicators
As on / for the nine month ended Dec 31   2018 2017
Total assets Rs crore 246422 249421
Total income (net of interest) Rs crore 5735 5756
Reported PAT Rs crore -147 -4222
Gross NPA % 15.82 16.95
Overall capital adequacy ratio % 12.62 10.37
Return on assets % -0.08 -2.21

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments. The CRISIL complexity levels are available on www.crisil.com/complexity-levels. Users are advised to refer to the CRISIL complexity levels for instruments that they consider for investment. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of Instrument Date of Allotment Coupon Rate (%) Maturity Date Issue Size (Rs cr) Rating assigned with outlook
NA Fixed deposit programme NA NA NA 0 FAA+/Stable
NA Certificates of deposit Programme NA NA 7-365 days 35000 CRISIL A1+
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2019 (History) 2018  2017  2016  Start of 2016
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Certificate of Deposits  ST  35000.00  CRISIL A1+      25-01-18  CRISIL A1+  31-08-17  CRISIL A1+  10-03-16  CRISIL A1+  CRISIL A1+ 
                31-03-17  CRISIL A1+       
Fixed Deposits  FD  0.00  FAA+/Stable      25-01-18  FAA+/Stable  31-08-17  FAA+/Negative  10-03-16  FAAA/Negative  FAAA/Stable 
                31-03-17  FAA+/Stable       
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Links to related criteria
Rating Criteria for Banks and Financial Institutions
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt
Criteria for Notching up Stand Alone Ratings of Entities Based on Government Support

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