Uganda’s 3rd biggest bank by assets, Crane Bank was placed under receivership by bank regulator-The Central Bank last Friday sending panic and worry among the millions of the bank’s subscribers across Uganda. Now, fresh details emerging that this site is privy to indicate that the closure was marred with malice and disregard for Crane Bank’s efforts to get in line with the requirements such as re-capitalisation. The closure of one of the country’s largest indigenous financial institutions, has ignited a firestorm in the banking industry and shaken trust in the country’s financial sector.
According to ChimpReports- one of Uganda’s leading news websites- a confidential report, showing billions of shillings had been hurriedly withdrawn from Crane Bank in what appears a loss of trust in the new management.
“People are worried of their savings. The bank run has been on for several months but the recent development has caused more panic. The deposits are shrinking at a faster pace than we anticipated,” said a source at the troubled bank.
The Central Bank last week said it had put Crane Bank under statutory management due to being a “significantly undercapitalised institution as defined by law.”
BoU further said the commercial bank “poses a systemic risk to the stability of the financial system and that the continuation of Crane Bank’s activities in its current form is detrimental to the interests of its depositors.”
Despite assuring customers and the public that it will “continue to protect depositors’ interests and maintain the stability of the financial sector,” BoU has failed to win in the court of public opinion hence the panic.
Experienced bankers told this website that BoU should not have rushed to seize Crane Bank on grounds of being undercapitalized especially at a time when the private financial firm was about to announce a potential investor.
BoU officials who talked to us on condition of anonymity said the Central Bank “has been engaging Crane Bank to take corrective steps since last year; and Crane Management and shareholders fell short.”
But former top officials at Crane Bank said several investors were interested but “we wanted one with strong potential to consolidate our network expansion with the view of extending services to the indigenous businessmen and farmers in upcountry areas. BoU was impatient.”
Officials further said Bank of Uganda should have provided capital at low rates to keep Crane Bank strong during the liquidity squeeze triggered by non-performing loans to indigenous businessmen.
“Bank of Uganda itself has been making losses for three years in a row. How can its leadership be trusted at Crane Bank? People deposit money in banks basing on three things: – trust of shareholders, directors and management,” said a former banking officer who preferred anonymity to speak freely.
“Look at the bigger banks; 85 percent of their profits are bank charges. The profits are repatriated back home. And they don’t invest in our farmers like Crane Bank. Why take a man down who is trying to give indigenous people ability to grow and create greatness?” the ex-banker wondered.
Economy on its knees- Is Crane Bank the only victim?
Sources in government claim Crane Bank was accused of flouting corporate governance and management rules and that capital erosion was due to provision for high NPLs; prohibited insider loans; and misstatement of Bank’s financial position due to failure to follow proper accounting standards.
Yet, ex Crane Bank sources said they at all times received clean bills of health from auditors, wondering why the Central Bank did not take action long ago if it found the financial institution’s accounts lacking integrity.
“It’s just throwing around excuses. The problem is not crane bank’s liquidity problems but failing to manage the economy properly,” an ex official at Crane Bank told this investigative website.
It is understood some of the bad loans given by Crane Bank were for real estate which has gone down. That’s partly the reason for the NPLs.
Knowledgeable bankers according to ChimpReports said that borrowers should prepare for tough times.
“The guys that will suffer are those that borrowed. They will be asked to pay earlier than they had anticipated,” said a senior banking official in Kampala.
Some of the distressed companies seeking a bailout from government are yet to clear loans worth billions of shillings from Crane Bank.
For example, Club Silk is struggling with a loan of Shs5bn from Crane Bank. Others are AZK Enterprises (Shs1.2bn), Franco Ssonko (Shs 3.5bn), Hooray Investments Holdings (Shs 120bn), Shumuk Aluminum Industries Ltd (Shs 17bn), and Sebei Cooperative (Shs 500m).
Most of the affected companies are engaged in mining, manufacturing, hospitality, agro-processing and real estate.
They claim failing short to finance their bank loans was caused by low profitability, poor performance of the economy and high interest rates.
High on the list of companies struggling in what is seen as a recession are Steel Rolling Mills Ltd which has a liability of Shs 75bn from Standard Chartered Bank.
The steel processing firm’s asset value is estimated at Shs 132bn and currently employs about 1,000 workers.
Steel & Tube Company which employs 2,500 people in Kampala is yet to clear two facilities worth Shs 99bn from Stanchart and Bank of Africa.
In the manufacturing sector, Shumuk Aluminum Industries has failed to pay back a loan of Shs 8.2bn from DFCU bank; Shs 6.6bn from Baroda Bank and Shs 17bn from Crane Bank.
Officials at Crane Bank say the big companies’ challenges directly affect the profitability and performance of its lenders.
Shilling continues to tumble further
Other companies attribute their woes to the depreciation of the shilling against the United States Dollar.
According to Bank of Uganda, the depreciation pressures which started in early 2014 continued through June 2015, with the shilling depreciating by 1.8 percent year-on-year on a trade weighted basis and by 29.1 percent against the USD to an average mid-rate of Shs3, 398.49 per USD.
The depreciation pressures were largely driven by the continued global strengthening of USD; continued weakening of the current account deficit; reduction in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows on account of deferred investments in the oil sectors because of low global oil prices; net portfolio outflows and elevated demand for foreign exchange from the key sectors of the economy including energy manufacturing and offshore players; and bearish sentiments in the foreign exchange market.
The South Sudan war has equally affected cross border trade thus leading to low foreign exchange revenues from the troubled country into Uganda’s economy.
Meanwhile, reports circulated on Monday showed that Cairo International Bank was facing tough times and that it could as well be put under receivership by the Central Bank.
A message on popular social media accounts indicated: “If you have account with Cairo bank pass by and confirm your status. Ownership changed hands last week, and the new owner is not allowing withdraws of given amount.”
But BoU reaffirmed that the “financial sector as a whole is stable, sound and resilient.”
“The public is hereby advised to continue conducting their banking business without panic,” said BoU communications Director, Christine Alupo.
A banking officer with a staggering 35- year experience observed: “What government should do is fix the economy not take over banks because it erodes the remaining investor confidence.”
The powerful Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa who this past weekend attended the wedding reception of Sudhir Ruparelia’s daughter, Sheena, said “we will be there for Sudhir as he has been there for us.”
