PSU Banks' capital raises are credit positive: Moody's

New Delhi: Capital raising by a number of public sector banks (PSBs), including PNB and UBI, is credit positive because it will help improve their loss-absorbing buffers, global rating agency Moody's said on Tuesday.

In a Credit Outlook article, Moody's said that it signals improved access to the equity capital markets and will reduce PSBs' dependence on fund infusion from the government.

"The inability of most PSBs to access the equity markets has been a key capital constraint. The share prices of most PSBs that we rate improved substantially after the Indian government's October announcement of the recapitalisation package for the country's 21 PSBs," it said.

Last week, Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Union Bank of India (UBI) raised Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 2,000 crore as new capital through qualified institutional placement. Besides, Syndicate Bank raised Rs 1,150 crore.

"The PSBs' capital raises are credit positive because they will help improve the banks loss-absorbing buffers ahead of the gradual phase-in of Basel III norms in the country," it said.

On a pro forma basis, it said, the capital raise will add about 100 basis points to PNB's Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio, which was 8.1 percent as of September 2017.

UBI and Syndicate each will add 60-70 basis points to their CET1 ratios, which were 7 per cent and 7.2 per cent, respectively, as of September 2017, it added.