Banks Start Debiting Debtors’ Other Bank Accounts

Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) has commenced the implementation of the new Central Bank of Nigeria’s Global Standing Instruction directive that allows them to recover outstanding debts from debtors’ other bank accounts domiciled with other banks.

The initiative was in a move to reduce the size of the debt in the banking sector, according to Godwin Emefiele, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria.

Deposit Money Banks have commenced the implementation on August 1, 2020

Experts have said the implementation would differentiate real wealthy businessmen from debtors parading themselves as wealthy businessmen.

Peter Esele, a former President, Trade Union Congress, stated that the new rule was long overdue, adding that it was better late than never.

He said, “The financial system has been abused and it is baffling that one man would be owing six banks in the same country; it can’t happen anywhere else.

“What the CBN is doing now is that it is sanitising the industry and we now actually know who are the real businessmen and the real big men.

“Some men are wealthy from running banks down because a lot of the big men are running banks down.”

He added the central bank and the deposit money banks should start giving credit score.

Joseph Ajaero, the President, United Labour Congress, said, “Banks that are lending money to people should make sure that they have adequate collateral.

“Ordinarily, banks cannot on their own go to another bank and take the money that was kept in another bank; they are independent and should operate independently.”

He said deposit money banks ran into trouble because they were lending without collateral.