JUST IN: We will pay Heritage Bank customers within one week – NDIC MD

The Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) says the payment of depositors at Heritage Bank will commence before the end of the week.

The Managing Director of NDIC, Bello Hassan, disclosed this in a briefing on the liquidation of the bank in Abuja on Wednesday.

The NDIC commenced the liquidation of Heritage Bank following the revocation of its banking licence by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday.

Hassan said the total bank deposits at heritage bank stands at N650 billion while its loan portfolio stands at over N700 billion.

He stated that the NDIC looks forward to ensuring the loan repayment within the next six months.

The NDIC MD said that all depositors are currently being verified for onward payment of insured benefit of five N5 million while depositors with insured deposits above N5 million naira will be paid upon the sale of the assets of bank.

The NDIC put the total depositors at the bank at 2.3 million with 99 per cent of them having total balances less than five million naira.

There are about 116 branches of heritage banks across the country.

The assurance of the payment by the NDIC will give hope to the customers of Heritage Bank who have been on panicking mode following the revocation of the bank’s licence.

According to the CBN, the move to revoke the bank’s licence was under its mandate to promote a sound financial system in Nigeria, and in exercise of its powers under Section 12 of the Banks and Other Financial Act (BOFIA) 2020.

According to a statement by the Ag. Director, Corporate Communications of the Appex bank, Hakama Ali, the the bank had breached Section 12 (1) of BOFIA, 2020.

Ali added that the Board and Management of the bank have not been able to improve the bank’s financial performance, a situation which constitutes a threat to financial stability.

It said “This follows a period during which the CBN engaged with the bank and prescribed various supervisory steps intended to stem the decline. Regrettably, the bank has continued to suffer and has no reasonable prospects of recovery, thereby making the revocation of the license the next necessary step.”

Consequently, the CBN said it took action to strengthen public confidence in the banking system, and ensure that the soundness of the financial system is not impaired.

The apex bank then appointed the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) as the liquidator of the bank under Section 12 (2) of BOFIA, 2020.