Co-Operative Banks in India Essay Example

Co-Operative Banks in India Essay A co-operative bank is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank. Co-operative banks are often created by persons belonging to the same local or professional community or sharing a common interest. Co-operative banks generally provide their members with a wide range of banking and financial services (loans, deposits, banking accounts†¦). Co-operative banks differ from stockholder banks by their organization, their goals, their values and their governance. In most countries, they are supervised and controlled by banking authorities and have to respect prudential banking regulations, which put them at a level playing field with stockholder banks. Depending on countries, this control and supervision can be implemented directly by state entities or delegated to a co-operative federation or central body. All the cooperative banks share common features : †¢ Customer-owned entities: In a co-operative bank, the needs of the customers eet the needs of the owners, as co-operative bank members are both. As a consequence, the first aim of a co-operative bank is not to maximise profit but to provide the best possible products and services to its members. Some co-operative banks only operate with their members but most of them also admit non-member clients to benefit from their banking and financial services. We will write a custom essay sample on Co-Operative Banks in India specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Co-Operative Banks in India specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Co-Operative Banks in India specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer †¢ Democratic member control: Co-operative banks are owned and controlled by their members, who democratically elect the board of directors. Members usually have equal voting rights, according to the co-operative principle of â€Å"one person, one vote†. Profit allocation: In a co-operative bank, a significant part of the yearly profit, benefits or surplus is usually allocated to constitute reserves. A part of this profit can also be distributed to the co-operative members, with legal or statutory limitations in most cases. Profit is usually allocated to members either through a patronage dividend, which is related to the use of the co-operative’s products and services by each member, or through an interest or a dividend, which is related to the number of shares subscribed by each member. HISTORY The Bank was formed in 1872 as the Loan and Deposit Department of Manchesters Co-operative Wholesale Society, becoming the CWS Bank four years later. However, the bank did not become a registered company until 1971. In 1975, the bank became the first new member of the Committee of London Clearing Banks for 40 years, and thus able to issue its own cheques. Since 1974 the Co-operative Bank has consistently offered free banking for personal customers who remain in credit. It was also the first Clearing Bank to offer an interest bearing cheque account called Cheque Save, in 1982. In 1991 the Bank shook the credit card market when it introduced a guaranteed free for life Gold Visa card. The Co-operative banks in INDIA have a history of almost 100 years. The Co-operative banks are an important constituent of the Indian Financial System, judging by the role assigned to them, the expectations they are supposed to fulfil, their number, and the number of offices they operate. The co-operative movement originated in the West, but the importance that such banks have assumed in India is rarely paralleled anywhere else in the world. Their role in rural financing continues to be important even today, and their business in the urban areas also has increased phenomenally in recent years mainly due to the sharp increase in the number of primary co-operative banks. Co operative Banks in India are registered under the Co-operative Societies Act. The cooperative bank is also regulated by the RBI. They are governed by the Banking Regulations Act 1949 and Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1965. Establishment of Cooperative Banks in India INTRODUCTION Co-operative banks Co-operative movement is quite well established in India. The first legislation on co-operation was passed in 1904. In 1914 the Maclagen committee envisaged a three tier structure for co-operative banking viz. Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACs) at the grass root level, Central Co-operative Banks at the district level and State Co-operative Banks at state level or Apex Level. The first urban co-operative bank in India was formed nearly 100 years back in Baroda. The co-operative banks arrived in India in the beginning of 20th Century as an official effort to create a new type of institution based on the principles of co-operative organisation and management, suitable for problems peculiar to Indian conditions. These banks were conceived as substitutes for money lenders, to provide timely and adequate short-term and long-term institutional credit at reasonable rates of interest. In the formative stage Co-operative Banks were Urban Co-operative Societies run on community basis and their lending activities were restricted to meeting the credit requirements of their members. The concept of Urban Co-operative Bank was first spelt out by Mehta Bhansali Committee in 1939 which defined on Urban Co-operative Bank. Provisions of Section 5 (CCV) of Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (as applicable to Co-operative Societies) defined an Urban Co-operative Bank as a Primary Co-operative Bank other than a Primary Co-operative Society was made applicable in 1966. Cooperative banking  is retail and commercial banking organized on a  cooperative  basis. Cooperative  banking institutions  take deposits and lend money in most parts of the world. Cooperative banking (for the purposes of this article), includes retail banking, as carried out by credit unions, mutual savings and loan associations, building societies and cooperatives, as well as commercial banking services provided by mutual organizations (such as cooperative federations) to cooperative businesses. The Co-operative banks has a history of almost 100 years. The Co-operative banks are an important constituent of the Indian Financial System, judging by the role assigned to them, the expectations they are supposed to fulfil, their number, and the number of offices they operate. The co-operative movement originated in the West, but the importance that such banks have assumed in India is rarely paralleled anywhere else in the world. Their role in rural financing continues to be important even today, and their business in the urban areas also has increased phenomenally in recent years mainly due to the sharp increase in the number of primary co-operative banks. While the co-operative banks in rural areas mainly finance agricultural based activities including farming, cattle, milk, hatchery, personal finance etc. long with some small scale industries and self-employment driven activities, the co-operative banks in urban areas mainly finance various categories of people for self-employment, industries, small scale units, home finance, consumer finance, personal finance, etc. Some of the co-operative banks are quite forward looking and have developed sufficient core competencies to challenge state and private sector banks. According to NAFCUB the total deposits lendings of Co-operative Banks is much more than Old Private Sector Banks also the New Private Sector Banks. This exponential growth of Co-operative Banks is attributed mainly to their much better local reach, personal interaction with customers, their ability to catch the nerve of the local clientele. Though registered under the Co-operative Societies Act of the Respective States (where formed originally) the banking related activities of the co-operative banks are also regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. They are governed by the Banking Regulations Act 1949 and Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1965. Definition of a cooperative bank (Source  : ICBA, International Cooperative Banks Association) A co-operative bank is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank. Co-operative banks are often created by persons belonging to the same local or professional community or sharing a common interest. Co-operative banks generally provide their members with a wide range of banking and financial services (loans, deposits, banking accounts†¦). Co-operative banks differ from stockholder banks by their organization, their goals, their values and their governance. In most countries, they are supervised and controlled by banking authorities and have to respect prudential banking regulations, which put them at a level playing field with stockholder banks. Depending on countries, this control and supervision can be implemented directly by state entities or delegated to a co-operative federation or central body. Even if their organizational rules can vary according to their respective national legislations, co-operative banks share common features: †¢ Customer-owned entities  : in a co-operative bank, the needs of the customers meet the needs of the owners, as co-operative bank members are both. As a consequence, the first aim of a co-operative bank is not to maximise profit but to provide the best possible products and services to its members. Some co-operative banks only operate with their members but most of them also admit non-member clients to benefit from their banking and financial services. †¢ Democratic member control  : co-operative banks are owned and controlled by their members, who democratically elect the board of directors. Members usually have equal voting rights, according to the co-operative principle of â€Å"one person, one vote†. Profit allocation  : in a co-operative bank, a significant part of the yearly profit, benefits or surplus is usually allocated to constitute reserves. A part of this profit can also be distributed to the co-operative members, with legal or statutory limitations in most cases. Profit is usually allocated to members either through a patronage dividend, which is related to the use of the co-operative’s produc ts and services by each member, or through an interest or a dividend, which is related to the number of shares subscribed by each member. Co-operative banks are deeply rooted inside local areas and communities. They are involved in local development and contribute to the sustainable development of their communities, as their members and management board usually belong to the communities in which they exercise their activities. By increasing banking access in areas or markets where other banks are less present – SMEs, farmers in rural areas, middle or low income households in urban areas co-operative banks reduce banking exclusion and foster the economic ability of millions of people. They play an influential role on the economic growth in the countries in which they work in and increase the efficiency of the international financial system. Their specific form of enterprise, relying on the above-mentioned principles of organization, has proven successful both in developed and developing countries. Larger institutions are often called  cooperative banks. Some of these banks are tightly integrated federations of credit unions, though those member credit unions may not subscribe to all nine of the strict principles of the  World Council of Credit Unions  (WOCCU). Like credit unions, cooperative banks are owned by their customers and follow the  cooperative principle  of one person, one vote. Unlike credit unions, however, cooperative banks are often regulated under both banking and cooperative legislation. They provide services such as savings and loans to non-members as well as to members, and some participate in the wholesale markets for bonds, money and even equities. [2]Many cooperative banks are traded on public  stock markets, with the result that they are partly owned by non-members. Member control is diluted by these outside stakes, so they may be regarded as semi-cooperative. Cooperative banking systems are also usually more integrated than credit union systems. Local branches of cooperative banks elect their own boards of directors and manage their own operations, but most strategic decisions require approval from a central office. Credit unions usually retain strategic decision-making at a local level, though they share back-office functions, such as access to the global payments system, by federating. Some cooperative banks are criticized for dilution of cooperative principles. Principles 2-4 of the  Statement on the Co-operative Identity  can be interpreted to require that members must control both the governance systems and capital of their cooperatives. A cooperative bank that raises capital on public stock markets creates a second class of shareholders who compete with the members for control. In some circumstances, the members may lose control. This effectively means that the bank ceases to be a cooperative. Accepting deposits from non-members may also lead to a dilution of member control. MAIN FUNCTIONS OF COOPERATIVE BANKS 1. Co-operative Banks are organised and managed on the principal of co-operation, self-help, and mutual help. They function with the rule of one member, one vote function on no profit, no loss basis. Co-operative banks, as a principle, do not pursue the goal of profit maximisation. Co-operative bank performs all the main banking functions of deposit mobilisation, supply of credit and provision of remittance facilities. Co-operative Banks provide limited banking products and are functionally specialists in agriculture related products. However, co-operative banks now provide housing loans also. UCBs provide working capital loans and term loan as well. 2. Co-operative bank do banking business mainly in the agriculture and rural sector. However, UCBs, SCBs, and CCBs operate in semi urban, urban, and metropolitan areas also. The urban and non-agricultural business of these banks has grown over the years. The co-operative banks demonstrate a shift from rural to urban, while the commercial banks, from urban to rural. Co-operative Banks belong to the money market as well as to the capital market. Primary agricultural credit societies provide short term and medium term loans. 3. Cooperative banks in India finance rural areas under:  ·Farming  ·Cattle  ·Milk  ·Hatchery  ·Personal finance 4. Cooperative banks in India finance urban areas under:  ·Self-employment  ·Industries  ·Small scale units  ·Home finance  ·Consumer finance  ·Personal finance Co-operative Banks Types: There are two types of co-operative banks in INDIA. 1. The first is the short term lending oriented Co-operative Banks. In this category there are again three sub categories of banks which are the State Co-operative banks, District Co-operative banks and the Primary Agricultural Co-operative societies. 2. The second is the long term lending oriented Co-operative banks. In this second category there are land developments banks which are at three levels. First is the state level, the second is district level, and the third is the village level. Again the Co-operative banking structure in India is divided into five main categories and these categories are: 1. Primary Urban Co-operative Banks. . Primary Agricultural Credit Societies. 3. District Central Co-operative Banks. 4. State Co-operative Banks. 5. Land Development Banks. It is very much clear that co-operative banks have very much importance in national development. Without the help of co-operative banks, millions of people in INDIA would be lacking the much needed financial support. CLASSIFICATION OF COOPERATIVE BANKS Some co-operative banks are s cheduled banks, while others are non-scheduled banks. For instance, SCBs and some UCBs are scheduled banks but other co-operative banks are non-scheduled banks. At present, 28 SCBs and 11 UCBs with Demand and Time Liabilities over Rs 50 crore each included in the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act. Co-operative Banks are subject to CRR and liquidity requirements as other scheduled and non-scheduled banks are. However, their requirements are less than commercial banks. |Sr. No. |Category of bank |Minimum SLR holding in Government and other approved securities as percentage of Net Demand | | | |and Time Liabilities (NDTL) | |1. Scheduled banks |25% | |2. |Non-Scheduled banks | | | |a) with NDTL of Rs. 25 crore | | | |above   | | | |b) with NDTL of less than Rs. 5 |15% | | |crore | | | | | | | | |10% | Recent Developments Over the years, primary (urban) cooperative banks have registered a significant growth in number, size and volume of business handled.