Connect 2 Regulate

Under the provisions of Banking Regulation Act, 1949, nomination facility is available in respect of deposit accounts, articles kept in safe custody or safe deposit lockers. This is intended to facilitate expeditious settlement of claims or return of articles or release of contents of safe deposit locker upon death of a customer and to minimise hardship caused to family members. The extant instructions require banks to adopt a simplified procedure to facilitate expeditious and hassle-free settlement of claims made by survivors/ nominees/ legal heirs in case of deposit accounts up to a threshold limit, however, the procedures vary across banks. With a view to enhance customer service standards, it has been decided to streamline the procedures and standardise the documentation to be submitted to the banks. Accordingly, Reserve Bank has released today the draft circular in this regard for public consultation.

The Reserve Bank of India has, from time to time, issued several instructions/ guidelines to co-operative banks, i.e., Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs), State Co-operative banks (StCBs) and District Central Co-operative banks (DCCBs), related to permission for place of business, change of name and scheduling, etc.