NDIC assures depositors of closed MFBs, PMBs of speedy settlement

By Chioma Obinagwam

The national agency given the mandate protect depositors’ funds, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), has assured depositors of closed Microfinance Banks (MFBs) and Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) speedy payment of their insured sums.

Confiance News gathered from a statement posted on the official Twitter handle of NDIC on Wednesday.

NDIC made this statement in reaction to the revocation of licenses of 139 Microfinance Banks (MFBs) and four Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) by Nigeria’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The NDIC Managing Director/Chief Executive (MD/CE), Mr. Bello Hassan, disclosed this in a statement which followed the revocation of the licenses of the affected MFBs and PMBs by the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.

The MD noted, as deposit insurer, the NDIC would begin the process of payment of the insured sums immediately with the verification of eligible depositors at the respective premises of the closed banks. He enjoined such depositors to get the required documents for the exercise such as proof of account ownership, verifiable means of identification and alternate bank account to facilitate their seamless verification and payment of their insured deposits.

He stated that the insured deposit is the first claim that the Corporation pays to depositors upon revocation of bank’s license by the CBN, adding that the maximum specified limits for the MFB and PMB sub-sectors are N200,000.00 and N500,000.00 per depositor per bank, respectively.

As liquidator, the MD/CE disclosed that the Corporation has also put machinery in motion to commence sales of assets of the defunct banks as well as recover debts owed to them in order to declare liquidation dividends on pro rata basis to the affected depositors with claims exceeding the maximum insured sums of N200,000.00 for MFBs and N500,000.00 for PMBs.

Hassan assured that regulatory authorities are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the soundness of the banking system is not compromised, stressing that there is no need for the public to panic over the safety of their bank deposits.

Confiance News gathered that the CBN had revoked the licences of the banks for failing to comply with the obligations imposed upon them by the Central Bank of Nigeria in accordance with the provisions of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, Act No. 5.