Access Bank to Publish Debtors’ Names

• Access Bank to Publish Debtors’ Names

Access Bank, the largest retail bank in Africa, has threatened to publish the names of its delinquent debtors if they failed to pay their debt in two weeks.

The newly merged lender said the warning also goes to debtors of the defunct Diamond Bank Plc.

Access Bank and Diamond Bank merged earlier this year amid financial struggles to create a megabank with 29 million customers across 592 branches in three continents and 12 countries.

However, the synergy seems to have failed to put an end to the bank woes as the huge debt incurred by debtors continue to drag on performance and growth.

The lender said: “All debtors will be sanctioned by the CBN and banned from participating in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange and Securities Exchange Markets, and registered on the Credit Risk Management Systems (CRMS) Bureau as bad debtors making them, their directors and related entities illegible for any credit in the Nigerian Financial Markets.”

Below is the full statement released by the management of Access Bank Plc.

Please be informed that Access Bank Plc is set to publish the list of all its delinquent debtors, associated persons, directors and entities. This is in line with the directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

All Access Bank Plc (including former Diamond Bank Plc) debtors are directed to pay up their due obligations in order to avoid punitive actions being taken against them. Please note that we shall publish out debtors’ names in newspapers in two weeks.

Similarly, in the event that these obligations are not fulfilled, we shall take such further actions against such delinquent individuals and companies as we may consider necessary and shall relentlessly pursue full recovery of all our debts.

Furthermore, all debtors will be sanctioned by the CBN and banned from participating in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange and Securities Exchange Markets, and registered on the Credit Risk Management Systems (CRMS) Bureau as bad debtors making them, their directors and related entities illegible for any credit in the Nigerian Financial Markets.

For incorrigible debtors, who continue to pose a risk to our system, we will use all means available and collaborate with our colleagues in the industry to ensure that they are excommunicated from the banking system.

Consequently, we hereby advise all out delinquent debtors to take this publication seriously and ensure that all debts are settled promptly.