The top hundred centres arranged according to the size of deposits accounted for 64.0 per cent of the total deposits and the top hundred centres arranged according to the size of bank credit accounted for 75.1 per cent of total bank credit. Aggregate deposits of top 100 centres grew at 19.6 per cent in September 2004 over September 2003 compared to 15.8 per cent growth recorded a year ago. Annual growth rate of gross bank credit of top 100 centres was appreciably higher at 24.9 per cent in September 2004 over September 2003 compared to 11.5 per cent growth recorded in the preceding year (Statement 2). The number of banked centres served by scheduled commercial banks according to number of reporting offices stood at 34,911. Of these centres, 29,540 were single office centres and 38 centres had 100 or more bank offices (Statement 3).

Nationalised Banks, as a group, accounted for 50.3 per cent of the aggregate deposits, while State Bank of India and its Associates accounted for 24.6 per cent. The shares of Foreign Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Other Scheduled Commercial Banks in aggregate deposits were 4.6 per cent, 3.6 per cent and 16.9 per cent, respectively. As regards gross bank credit, Nationalised Banks held the maximum share of 46.3 per cent of the total bank credit followed by State Bank of India and its Associates at 24.2 per cent and Other Scheduled Commercial Banks at 19.5 per cent. Foreign Banks and Regional Rural Banks had relatively lower shares in the total gross bank credit at 7.0 per cent and 3.0 per cent, respectively (Statements 4-9).

At the all–India level, the credit-deposit (C-D) ratio of all scheduled commercial banks as on last Friday of September 2004 stood at 59.9 per cent. Among the States/Union Territories, the highest C-D ratio was observed in Chandigarh (93.4 per cent), followed by Tamil Nadu (91.3 per cent) and Maharashtra (86.1 per cent). At the bank group level, the C-D ratio was above the all-India ratio in respect of Foreign Banks (90.8 per cent) and Other Scheduled Commercial Banks (69.2 per cent), and was lower for State Bank of India and its Associates (59.0 per cent), Nationalised Banks (55.1 per cent) and Regional Rural Banks (50.4 per cent). As regards population group-wise C-D ratio of all scheduled commercial banks, metropolitan centres had the highest C-D ratio at 76.9 per cent, followed by rural centres (46.5 per cent) which overtook urban centres (46.3 per cent) marginally. The semi-urban centres recorded the lowest C-D ratio at 39.7 per cent.