Banking Regulation Act 1949

Overview of Banking

Banking companies in India are governed by two main legislations namely Banking
Regulation Act, 1949 and the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The Banking Regulation Act
has undergone several changes to suit the needs that emerged in post-independence period.
Nationalization of Banks has transformed the functioning of major banks necessitating new
environment. Banking Regulation Act demarcates the business to be carried out by banking
companies having regard to the interests of economy and safety of the public deposits. The
main thrust of the act is to ensure sound banking through regulation covering the opening of
branches and maintenance of liquid assets.

Definitions

Sec 5 (b) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 defines banking as "accepting for the purpose
of lending or investment, of deposits of money from the public, repayable on demand or
otherwise, and withdrawal by cheque, draft, order or otherwise". Thus it is clear that the main
business of a banking company is to accept deposits and lend or invest the same amount. In
the explanation of the aforesaid section it is clearly mentioned that a company which is
engaged in the manufacture of goods or carries on any trade and which accepts deposits of
money from the public merely for the purpose of financing its business, as such manufacturer
or trader shall not be deemed to transact the business of banking.

The significance of the term "deposit of money" means that a bank can accept only money
from anybody to invest or lend the same. However the bank is having discretion to refuse an
application of a person seeking to open a bank account. The money can be withdrawn on
demand. Section 5(f) of the act defines demand liability as liabilities that must be met on
demand and time liabilities defined as those which are not demand liabilities. The definition
of banking mentions the method of withdrawal also. The withdrawal must be effected
through cheque, draft, and order or otherwise. A banking company is defined as "any
company which transacts the business of banking in India" Sec.5 (c).

PERMITTED BUSINESS OF BANKS

Section 6 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 has listed down the following activities in
which a banking company may engage-

a.) the borrowing, raising, or taking up of money; the lending or advancing of money either
upon or without security; the drawing, making, accepting, discounting, buying, selling,
collecting and dealing in bills of exchange, hundis, promissory notes, coupons drafts, bills of
lading, railway receipts, warrants, debentures, certificates, scrips and other instruments and
securities whether transferable or negotiable or not; the granting and issuing of letters of
credit, traveller's cheques and circular notes; the buying, selling and dealing in bullion; the
buying and selling of foreign exchange including foreign bank notes; the acquiring, holding,
issuing on commission, underwriting and dealing in stock, funds, shares, debentures,

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debenture stock, bonds, obligations, securities and investments of all kinds; the purchasing
and selling of bonds, scrips or other forms of securities on behalf of constituents or others, the
negotiating of loans and advances; the receiving of all kinds of bonds, scrips or valuables on
deposit or for safe custody or otherwise; the providing of safe deposit vaults; the collecting
and transmitting of money and securities.

b.) acting as agents for any Government or local authority or any other person or persons; the
carrying on of agency business of any description including the clearing and forwarding of
goods, giving of receipts and discharges and otherwise acting as an attorney on behalf of
customers, but excluding the business of a company;

c.) contracting for public and private loans and negotiating and issuing the same;

d.) the effecting, insuring, guaranteeing, underwriting, participating in managing and carrying
out of any issue, public or private, of State, municipal or other loans or of shares, stock,
debentures or debenture stock of any company, corporation or association and the lending of
money for the purpose of any such issue.

e.) carrying on and transacting every kind of guarantee and indemnity business;

f.) managing, selling and realizing any property which may come into the possession of the
company in satisfaction or Part satisfaction of any of its claims.

g.) acquiring and holding and generally dealing with any property or any right, title or interest
in any such property which may form the security or part of the security for any loans or
advances or which may be connected with any such security;

h.) undertaking and executing trusts;

i.) undertaking the administration of estates as executor, trustee or otherwise;

j.) establishing and supporting or aiding in the establishment and support of associations,
institutions, funds, trusts and conveniences calculated to benefit employees or ex-employees
of the company or the dependents or connections of such persons; granting pensions and
allowances and making payments towards insurance; subscribing to or guaranteeing moneys
for charitable or benevolent objects or for any exhibition or for any public, general or useful
object;

k.) the acquisition, construction, maintenance and alteration of any building or works
necessary or convenient for the purposes of the company;

l.) selling, improving, managing, developing, exchanging, leasing, mortgaging, disposing of

or turning into account or otherwise dealing with all or any part of the property and rights of
the company;

m.) acquiring and undertaking the whole or any part of the business of any person or
company, when such business is of a nature enumerated or described in this sub-section;

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n.) doing all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the promotion or
advancement of the business of the company;

o.) any other form of business which the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, specify as a form of business in which it is lawful for a banking company to
engage;

2. No banking company shall engage in any form of business other than those referred to in
sub-section (1).

BUSINESSES PROHIBITED FOR BANKS

Section 8 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, specified the following businesses which
are prohibited for banking companies-

Notwithstanding anything contained in Section 6 or in any contract, no banking company

shall directly or indirectly deal in the buying or selling or bartering of goods except in
connection with the realization of security given to or held by it, or engage in any trade, or
buy, sell or barter goods for others otherwise than in connection with bills of exchange
received for collection or negotiation or with such of its business as is referred to in
clause (i) of sub-section (1) of Section 6;

Explanation: For the purposes of this section, "goods" means every kind of movable property,
other than actionable claims, stocks, shares, money, bullion, and all instruments referred to in
clause.

Restriction on Nature of Subsidiary Companies

Section 19 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 specified the following businesses which
can be performed by a subsidiary company of a banking company. The Section 19 reads as-

1(1) A banking company shall not form any subsidiary company except a subsidiary
company formed for one or more of the following purposes, namely:

a.) the undertaking of any business which, under clauses (a) to (o) of sub-section (1) of
Section 6, is permissible for a banking company to undertake, or

b.) with the previous permission in writing of the Reserve Bank, the carrying on of the
business of banking exclusively outside India, or

c.) the undertaking of such other business, which the Reserve Bank, may, with the prior
approval of the Central Government, consider to be conducive to the spread of banking in
India or to be otherwise useful or necessary in the public interest.

(2) Save as provided in sub-section (1), no banking company shall hold shares in any
company, whether as pledgee, mortgagee or absolute owner, of an amount exceeding thirty
percent of the paid-up share capital of that company or thirty percent of its own paid-up share
capital and reserves, whichever is less: Provided that any banking company which is on the

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date of commencement of this Act holding any shares in contravention of the provisions of
this sub-section shall not be liable to any penalty therefore if it reports the matter without
delay to the Reserve Bank and if it brings its holding of shares into conformity with the said
provisions within such period, not exceeding two years, as the Reserve Bank may think fit to
allow.

(3) Save as provided in sub-section (1) and notwithstanding anything contained in date of the
commencement of this Act, hold shares, whether as pledgee, mortgagee or absolute owner, in
any company in the management of which any managing director or manager of the banking
company is in any manner concerned or interested".

LICENSING OF BANKING COMPANIES

Section 22 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 specified that the RBI will issue license to a
banking company after inspecting the books of the banking company and after satisfaction of
the following conditions-

a.) that the company is or will be in a position to pay its present or future depositors in full as
their claims accrue;

b.) that the affairs of the company are not being, or are not likely to be, conducted in a
manner detrimental to the interests of its present or future depositors;

c.) that the general character of the proposed management of the company will not be
prejudicial to the public interest or the interest of its depositors;

d.) that the company has adequate capital structure and earning prospects;

e.) that the public interest will be served by the grant of a license to the company to carry on
banking business in India;

f.) that having regard to the banking facilities available in the proposed principal area of
operations of the company, the potential scope for expansion of banks already in existence in
the area and other relevant factors the grant of the license would not be prejudical to the
operation and consolidation of the banking system consistent with monetary stability and
economic growth;

g.) any other condition, the fulfilment of which would, in the opinion of the Reserve Bank, be
necessary to ensure that the carrying on of business in India by the company will not be
prejudical to the public interest or the interest of the depositors.

In case of banking company incorporated outside India, the RBI is required to inspect the
books of the company or otherwise has to be satisfied that the functioning of the company is
in the interest of the public and meets the conditions specified under sub-section (3) and the
law of the country in which the banking company incorporated does not discriminate in any
way against banking companies registered in India and that the company complies with other
provisions of the Act which are applicable to foreign banks.

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The RBI can cancel the license of the bank if it finds the following-
i. if the company ceases to carry on banking business in India; or
ii. if the company at any time fails to comply with any of the conditions imposed upon it
under sub-section (1);
iii. if at any time, any of the conditions referred to in sub-section (3) 2[and subsection (3A)]
is not fulfilled.

Opening of Branches
Section 23 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, requires that every banking company
(foreign or Indian), should obtain permission from the RBI to open a new place of
business or change of location. It is necessary for Indian banks to get prior permission for
opening of a new business outside India. Following are exceptions where a bank need not
require any permission from the RBI-
1. A change of location within the same city, town or village does not require any
permission from RBI.
2. A temporary business service offered by a banking company for not more than a
month in a mela, conference or exhibition in a place where the bank already is having
its presence does not require any RBI permission.
The RBI considers the following factors before giving permission for opening up a branch
office by a banking company -
• The general character of the management.
• The financial position of the bank.
• Maintenance of capital adequacy norms and the earning prospects of the bank.
• Maintenance of the public interest by opening of the new branches or change of location.