PNB net profit rises over three-fold to Rs 1,023 cr in Q1

New Delhi: State-owned Punjab National Bank on Monday reported over three-fold jump in its standalone net profit to Rs 1,023.46 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, mainly due to fall in operating expenses and good recovery.

The bank had posted a net profit of Rs 308.45 crore in the same quarter last year. Sequentially, it was up from Rs 586.33 crore in the March 2021 quarter.

The total income during Q1FY22 declined to Rs 22,515 crore from Rs 24,292.80 crore in Q1FY21, Punjab National Bank (PNB) said in a regulatory filing.

Interest income fell to Rs 18,921 crore from Rs 20,638 crore.

The operating profit of the bank increased during the quarter to Rs 6,098.65 crore from Rs 5,280 crore.

Its operating expenses during the quarter came down to Rs 4,722 crore from Rs 5,156 crore in the year-ago period.

The total recovery, including cash recovery and up-gradation, during Q1FY22 improved to Rs 8,270 crore, PNB said.

The lender said it has availed dispensation for deferment of provision of Rs 392.69 crore in respect of frauds, as per RBI norms.

Accordingly, an amount of Rs 98.17 crore has been charged to the profit and loss account and Rs 294.52 crore has been deferred to subsequent quarters.

"Further, out of the amount of Rs 1,013.10 crore, which was debited to other reserve in Q4FY21, an amount of Rs 606.14 crore has been charged to profit and loss account and remaining Rs 406.96 crore will be charged to profit and loss account in subsequent quarters," it said.

The bank's asset quality impaired further with the gross non-performing assets (NPAs) reaching 14.33 per cent of the gross advances by June 30, 2021, from 14.11 per cent a year ago and 14.12 per cent as of March 2021.

Provisions for bad loans and contingencies were down slightly at Rs 4,678 crore in the April-June FY22, as against Rs 4,686 crore in the year-ago period.

In absolute terms, the gross NPAs or bad loans stood at Rs 1,04,075.56 crore by the end of the first quarter of FY22, compared to Rs 1,01,849.34 crore a year earlier.

Net NPAs moved to 5.84 per cent (Rs 38,580.58 crore) from 5.39 per cent (Rs 35,303.02 crore).

On a consolidated basis, PNB reported a net profit of Rs 1,080.30 crore in the quarter ended June 2021, as against Rs 475.19 crore a year ago.

The consolidated financial result of the bank comprises five subsidiaries and 15 associates.

The capital adequacy ratio of the bank was at 15.19 per cent by June quarter-end, compared to 12.63 per cent a year ago.