As much as R85,000 crore of bad loans are stuck in suit-filed accounts in FY14, a jump of 21.4% from Q2FY13, the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) said in a statement on Thursday. AIBEA vice-president Vishwas Utagi said the data on suit-filed accounts, circulated by the Reserve Bank of India among bankers, show that in Maharashtra alone, the quantum of loans stuck in suit-filed accounts was R34,585 crore in FY14. Suit-filed accounts are those in which banks take a borrower to court as a recovery measure after the loan turns into a non-performing asset (NPA). According to the statement, lenders have filed suits against companies like Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation, Winsome Diamonds and Jewellery, S Kumars Nationwide and Kingfisher Airlines. Meanwhile, bankers say the loan recovery process is a long-winding battle with the borrower and takes an average of five to seven years to settle.
