BTL 784 - Taking Charge _ Precautions

 

The Banking Tutor’s Lessons

BTL 784                                                                   15-05-2025

Taking Charge _ Precautions 

This is the season for Bank Officers to get transfer (either on promotion or as per Promotion Policy of the respective Banks). So I felt a need to educate such of Officials who have to take Charge of Transferee Branch. 

Trade Unions/Associations might have shared material in this regard. Though the material shared by T Us is good and comprehensive, you may not be in a position to take care of all aspects mentioned in the said material, due to limited time available with you. Further, due to reasons mentioned hereunder you may not follow the advise given in such material to full extent. 

01. Your predecessor may not be available when you join branch. 

02. There may be accumulation of work as this is season for promotion and transfers and you may be forced to attend them keeping your Charge Taking aside. Your Controlling Office (Executives) may advise you to attend work immediately. I have faced this problem a decade back. 

03. You may not be in a position to spare time as you have to take care of your family urgent needs such as children education, fixation of quarters. 

04. Monitoring of SWL and efforts to stop accounts from slipping to NPA. 

Keeping the above limitations in mind I advise you to take care of following without any exception.

Please note that this is not substitute to whatever is shared by your Management and/or Associations / Unions. This is only a supplement to and reiteration of important points of such material. 

I suggest you to attend the job of Charge Taking in following in stages : 

First Stage .....> 

01. Verify Safe Custody Receipt related to Duplicate Keys of Strong Room etc. Please see whether Duplicate Key related to Locker is also mentioned there. Please note to keep the said Receipt with you in a file which is handy to locate in case of emergent need. 

02. Verify availability of Safe Custody Articles (compare with the Register). 

03. Verify Jewel Packets (Gold Loans) with the latest balancing report. If you find any packet related to closed account, immediately shift the same to Safe Custody as per the procedure. While verifying Gold Loans, you are verifying availability of respective packets only. Don’t go for opening the packet for verification of items inside the packet. 

04. Verify availability of loan papers in case of live loan accounts and ensure availability of AOD/AOS wherever needed. 

05. Verify all Mortgages (you may use latest EMT Balancing Report). While doing this job, ensure that the Main Document is available.

06. Verify Agreements & Permissions related to Jewel Appraiser and Generator. 

07. Verify lease deed related to premises and also officers’ quarters. 

08. Ensure that UPM Register is available and enter your details. Ensure that it contains the details of staff (other than sub-staff) working in the Branch. 

09. Verify Power of Attorney Registers and ensure Key Register is updated. 

10. In case Branch maintains Banker’s Account with other Bank, verify position of same and ensure that related cheque book is in proper custody. 

If you come across any issue of serious nature, before recording your observations, talk to other staff available in the branch about the issue. In case, the issue continue, then talk to your predecessor. In case he/she is unable to give a convincing reply, then take up the matter with your overseeing executive and inform him your intention of reporting the same officially. If the matter is settled within a day or two, it is OK. But, if it needs more time, don’t wait and report the same to appropriate authority in a proper way. 

You need not stop / delay reporting based on anyone (including your higherups / T U Leaders) oral assurance. However, you try your level best to set right the issue, before reporting. Don’t do goody-goody business. 

Second Stage :........> 

01. Verify whether all mandatory boards are available / displayed. If any one is not available take up with Controlling Office and get it. 

02. Get latest Inspection File and go through Summary of Findings. 

03. Get previous Attendance Registers and ensure that they are kept at proper place in a way to retrieve it easily. 

04. Keep Performance Workbook with you. Update it. Keep Business Targets for current financial year with you. 

05. Keep Confidential File related to Staff Matters with you. 

06. Conduct a Staff Meeting and talk to your staff. Take them into confidence. 

07. Compare the Locker Agreements with that of Hirer’s name as available in respective Locker Master Data. I have come across cases where no proper locker agreements are available. Instead they kept agreements related to surrendered lockers (for counting purpose) which are executed by someone else. 

Final Stage :

Follow advise given in the material provided by Management / Trade Unions. 

Elderly & Friendly Warning : 

If you stop or delay reporting any serious issue, no one will save you in case of any eventuality.

 

Sekhar Pariti

+91 9440641014