Page 96 - A Banker Down the Rabbit Hole

29. Unpleasant risky process of loan

recovery

W e were a new team at this branch consolidating the

lending business done by the earlier team. A large
number of loans had been disbursed and we had to
follow up with the borrowers as we were duty bound to
protect the bank's interest. We started a recovery drive with help of
bank's jeep for a week and we were successful in creating seriousness
about bank's intentions on recovery of loans in the area. We had focused
so far on loans for agriculture and allied activities.

There was one borrower who had defaulted in small industrial loan. We
had just got approval of Zonal office to file a civil suit based on a proposal
moved by earlier Branch Head. The borrower came to the branch and
started abusing staff and Branch Head. I was not in the office and had
gone to meet some depositor. He created a ruckus and asked the staff,
"Where is the branch head? Ask him to come out. I want to ask him how
he had dared to call me a 'thief' in presence of other customers. If you
have guts, you could file suit against me and take it for sure that I will
shoot you people."

When I returned, I found a crowd gathered in front of the branch. All
our staff including the Loan Officer looked scared on the incident. As he
had leveled fabricated charge on me, I asked my guard to call him to the
branch to clarify to him that when I never used such words, what was
the fuss about. He could come and disclose who had mis communicated
to him. But the borrower refused to come to the branch. He told our
Guard that he was not a fool to go the bank now where staff could
retaliate.

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