Contents: Preface. 1. Indian commercial banks in retrospect and prospect. 2. Impact of nationalisation of commercial banks. 3. Progress of commercial banks after nationalisation. 4. Liberalisation of banking services. 5. On-line and phone banking. 6. Payment and Settlement Systems in India. 7. Credit Information Bureau Services. 8. Mergers, acquisitions and bank failures. 9. Commercial banks in insurance business. 10. Banking Ombudsman Scheme. 11. New Generation Banks. 12. Corporate governance in commercial banks. 13. Local area banks. 14. Indian commercial banks in foreign countries. 15. Foreign banks in India. 16. Commercial banks: challenges and strategies. Index.

"Banking sector in India has undergone remarkable changes since the nationalisation of 14 major commercial banks in 1969. The geographical and functional coverage of banks has surged at a rate that is unprecedented in the world. Similarly, services rendered by banks witnessed major changes after liberalisation of the financial sector carried out from the early 1990s. Banking system has now transformed itself into a vibrant financial service sector with many innovative and technology-driven services at their end.

Nationalisation of commercial banks in 1969 and 1980 was a mixed blessing. After nationalisation there was a shift of emphasis from industry to agriculture. The country witnessed rapid expansion in bank branches, even in rural areas. However, bank nationalisation created its own problems like excessive bureaucratisation, red-tapism and disruptive tactics of trade unions of bank employees.

Reforms in the commercial banking sector has two distinct phases. The first phase of reforms introduced subsequent to the release of the Report of the Committee on Financial System  (Chairman: M. Narasimham), 1992 focussed mainly on enabling and strengthening measures. The second phase of reforms, introduced subsequent to the recommendations of the Committee on Banking Sector Reforms (Chairman: M. Narasimham), 1998 placed greater emphasis on structural measures and improvement in standards of disclosure and levels of transparency in order to align the Indian standards with international best practices.

Reforms have brought about considerable improvements as reflected in various parameters relating to capital adequacy, asset quality, profitability and operational efficiency. Unfortunately, commercial banks continue to face the problem of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). The present volume deals with various aspects related to the development of commercial banks in India, with particular focus on Post-Liberalisation (1991 onwards) developments." (jacket)