How secure are corporate Fixed Deposits?
It has been more than five years since his fixed deposits developed, but Delhi-based Ramesh Kumar is yet to get his money back. He has made countless calls to the company and used up reams for filing complaints, but to no avail. “The officials say that the company is facing a financial crunch. I have almost lost hope of getting my money back,” says the octogenerian.
Kumar made the basic mistake of investing in a corporate fixed deposit without assessing the credentials of the company or looking at its repayment record. “The interest rate was higher than that offered by banks and I needed money for my expenses after retirement,” he says humbly.
He is not alone. An estimated Rs 1,000 crore of small investors’ money has been lost in this way. The fixed deposits have long matured, but issuers don’t have the money to repay the investors. The Investor Helpline launched by Delhi-based Midas Touch Investors’ Association has around 3,500 grievances relating to unpaid fixed deposits pending with it.
“This is a just a fraction of the actual default cases. What’s shocking is that some of these companies had nationalised banks as trustees, who had an obligation to oversee timely payments as per Sebi rules. However, they didn’t do much to protect the depositors,” says Virender Jain, founder of Midas Touch.
Not all companies in the defaulters’ list are ambiguous names like Chain Roop Bhansali’s CRB Capital. The list includes established names, such as Lloyds Finance, Morepan Laboratories, DCM Financial Services, Nagarjuna Finance, Duncan Industries and Kirloskar Investments and Finance.
Over the past few years, several companies have turned to the public to raise capital to fund their expansion plans. They have done so because banks have raised lending rates. More importantly, it has become increasingly difficult for dubious companies to borrow from banks.
The Reserve Bank of India has directed the banks to lay greater pressure on due diligence before extending corporate loans. Sometimes, companies borrow to fund their projects but use the money for working capital needs or to retire outstanding debts. The RBI wants the banks to ensure that the funds are used for the idea for which they were borrowed, not for diverting to other activities.
However, most investors are oblivious to these undercurrents. They think that fixed deposits from established companies are as safe as any other fixed deposit. “I was taken in by the names of issuing companies and thought they were trustworthy. How else can you take a decision?” asks Kumar.
What makes matters worse is that corporate fixed deposits are unsecured loans that do not promise anything to the investor in case of a default. When you invest in a bank fixed deposit, the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation ensures that Rs 1 lakh per bank is repaid to you in case of a default. But there is no guarantee for deposits with companies and NBFCs.
Source: [Economic Times]
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