• Source: Bank of Maharashtra

      • Bank of Maharashtra is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Pune. The bank had 30 million customers across the country with 2263 branches as of June 2023. It has the largest network of branches of any nationalised bank in the state of Maharashtra. State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the top performer among public sector lenders in terms of loan and deposit growth in percentage terms during 2022-23. The Pune-headquartered lender also recorded highest growth in profitability with bottomline growing almost 126 per cent to Rs 2,602 crore during the year.


      History


      Maharashtra has been a hub of commercial activity for more than nine decades, supported by its dynamic trade networks and resource-rich landscape. Maharashtra has been a progressive region and Banking activity was also started in this region quite early. Historically speaking, the Bank of Bombay established in 1840 was the first commercial bank in Maharashtra. However, the first commercial bank set up in Maharashtra outside Mumbai was The Poona Bank established in 1889 at Pune, followed by the Deccan Bank in 1890 and the Bombay Banking Company in 1898. The Swadeshi movement of the first decade of the 20th Century played a significant role in the emergence of multiple commercial banks.
      Outbreak of the First World War leading to the Great Depression took a heavy toll on banks in India. Between 1914 and 1935, as many as 380 banks failed in the country out of which 54 were based in Bombay province. The impact of these failures was felt more in Maharashtra region because certain banks known for a long time were also closed down. The effects of great depression started fading and new enterprises began emerging with new hopes in all spheres of economy including banking.


      = Need felt for an Independent Bank for Maharashtra

      =
      The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce (MCC) was established in Poona in 1934 and its Founder Secretary Shri A. R. Bhat was a great visionary. Shri Bhat initiated for a comprehensive review of banking services available in the region through a special issue of Kesari newspaper released in the memory of Lokmanya Tilak within a few months of establishment of MCC. He ensured that his friend, Shri V. P. Varde, considered a doyen of the co-operative movement, wrote an article on the necessity of a separate bank for Maharashtra, thus launching a public discussion on the subject. While there was no noticeable response to the article of Shri Varde, Shri A. R. Bhat kept on discussing the subject with leaders in Trade and Industry. Shri Bhat ensured that Mahratta Chamber and its Directors took up the issue and held a Conference on Business and Industry in Poona on behalf of the MCC in February1935.
      Shri Bhat pushed the proposal for formation of a bank and succeeded in getting the following resolution adopted by the conference: “For providing capital to the trade and industry in Maharashtra, it is essential to establish a Joint Stock commercial bank. The Mahratta Chamber is, therefore, requested to make all the necessary enquiries in that behalf and take appropriate steps for floating such a bank. The business community in Maharashtra is urged to support such an effort.”
      The MCC formed a sub-committee consisting of Sarvashri V. G. Kale, D. K. Sathe, N. G. Pawar, G. D. Apte and A. R. Bhat to work out the details. The first meeting of the committee was held on 19th May 1935 in the conference room of the Kesari Mahratta office and besides the committee members, prominent personalities from the city like Shri Babasaheb Kamat, the then President of the MCC, J. S. Karandikar, Rajabhau Godbole, Govindrao Pandit, Damuanna Potdar, S. R. Sardesai, Baburao Gokhale and N. N. Kshirsagar among others participated in deliberations.
      Another meeting of the sub committee with wider public representation was followed on 27th May 1935 in the meeting hall of Kesari Mahratta office and decisions on matters like the number of Directors on the Board of the proposed bank (maximum to be 11 members), amount of each share (to be ₹50/-) and primary condition for becoming a Director (to hold a minimum of 500 shares) were taken.
      The Bank was formally registered under the Indian Companies Act, on the auspicious day of 16th September 1935. The first Board of Directors of The Bank of Maharashtra Ltd was constituted with following members:

      Prof. V. G. Kale, an ex-member of Indian Tariff Board, a reputed economist and educationist.
      Shri D. K. Sathe, a businessman, a prominent social worker who had experience of Co-operative banking.
      Shri V. P. Varde, a leading figure in the co-operative movement and who provided major impetus to the move.
      Shri S. G. (alias Annasaheb) Marathe of M/s. V. R. Ranade and Sons.
      Shri N. G. Pawar, Engineer and Contractor
      Shri V. T. Ranade, of M/s. V. R. Ranade and Sons, a leading firm of Engineers and Contractors.
      Shri Raghunathrao Sohoni, a leading merchant who had initially moved the resolution for formation of the Bank for Maharashtra.
      Shri M. R. Joshi, a leading paper merchant from Pune.
      Shri B. M. Gupte, Chairman of the Poona Central Co-operative Bank.
      Shri Shet Furdoonji Pudumji of Deccan Mills (joined the Board a few days after registering the Bank).


      = Prospectus of the Bank

      =


      = Issue on 21-10-1935

      =
      “This bank is intended to carry out commercial banking of all kinds. For the past many years Maharashtra has had no Joint Stock Commercial bank of its own and it is with a view to meet the long felt want in that respect that this new banking institution has been brought into existence. Various problems relating to Indian Banking have been recently under discussion and a number of Commissions and Committees have reported on these. The interest in them has been further stimulated by the establishment of the Reserve Bank of India and the immediate necessity of organizing and developing banking facilities on sound lines is being widely felt. Systematic arrangements for financing of trade, provision of working capital for small and medium-size industries and close association of indigenous bankers with Joint Stock Companies and the Reserve Bank of India are admitted to be the need of the hour and banking institution conducted on sound lines that will play its proper part in this extensive field in Maharashtra has been recognized as an urgent necessity. Outside a few of Indian States today there is not a single large scale Joint Stock bank in the vast territory covering Marathi speaking districts from Ratnagiri in the West to Nagpur in the East and from Khandesh in the North to the borders of Karnataka in the South. Apart from Shroffs and Sowkars who carry on commercial mixed type of banking and according to traditional practice, the banking organization of Maharashtra consists at present of branches of Joint Stock companies which have their head offices in Bombay and elsewhere and cooperative credit institutions. Branches of outside banks working in Maharashtra districts have so far catered for the banking requirements of the public in their own way but they cannot obviously be a substitute for banking institution started and conducted with an avowed object of promoting thrift, encouraging banking habits and developing trade and industry amongst the people of Maharashtra. The co-operative banks have rendered useful services in a limited sphere but there is a vast field outside their own restrictive scope which can be tackled by a large scale bank like the Bank of Maharashtra Limited.’’


      = Commencement of Business

      =
      Actual business of the Bank commenced in Kitab Mahal building on Laxmi Road, Pune on 6th February 1936 at 9.10 AM by opening some token but prestigious accounts. The formal inauguration of commencement of business took place two days later i.e. on 8th February 1936 at the hands of Sir Sorabji Pochkhanawalla, the then Managing Director of the Central Bank of India Ltd., Bombay. At the end of the first year of working (11 months), the profit earned was ₹635/-


      = First Staff Members:

      =
      Shri Madhav Vishnu Gokhale (ACIB, London), Manager
      Shri Vamanrao Khare, Accountant
      Shri V. D. Khadilkar, Cashier Clerk
      Shri Krishnaji Bhosale, Sub-staff


      = The initial Capital Structure

      =
      Authorised capital ₹ 10/- lakh
      (20,000 Shares of ₹ 50/-each)
      Issued capital ₹ 5/- lakh
      Called up capital ₹ 2.50 lakh
      Actual working of the Bank to commence after the sale of 2000 shares


      = 1936-1943

      =
      Prof. V. G. Kale, as the first Chairman, steered the Bank with great caution and on sound principles.
      Second branch of the bank was opened at Fort, Bombay in 1938.
      Third branch came up at Deccan Gymkhana, Pune in May 1940.
      Provident Fund scheme for employees introduced in 1941.
      Fourth branch was opened at Nagpur in 1943.
      Plot of land purchased on 25th October 1943 at a cost of ₹1.05 lakh in the prime locality of Bajirao Road, Pune.
      Prof. Kale relinquished chairmanship in 1943 due to ill health and continued on the Board till his death in 1946.


      = 1943-1953

      =
      Bank obtained Scheduled Bank status on 26th October 1944.
      Deposits crossed ₹1 crore mark in 1946.
      First branch outside Maharashtra opened in 1946 – Hubli (Mysore State, now Karnataka).
      Safe Deposit Vault services started in 1946 at Solapur.
      The Maharashtra Executor and Trustee Company Ltd., a fully owned subsidiary was established at Pune to undertake business of executership and trusteeship in 1946 with initial capital of ₹1.25 lakh
      Expansion to Andhra Pradesh: Hyderabad branch opened in 1949
      Construction of own building on Bajirao Road, Pune started in 1950 and was completed in 1953 at a cost of ₹5.43 lakh.


      = 1954-1966

      =
      The first rural branch at Kirloskarwadi was opened in 1953.
      The Bantia Bank, Panvel merged in 1953.
      Rescued the depositors of Deccan Industrial Bank Ltd. (DIBL) in 1954-55 by accepting 50% liability and took over the business as RBI refused to give license to DIBL.
      Loan for “purchase of a rickshaw”, an innovation in commercial bank lending, sanctioned in 1958.
      Regional Office in Mumbai opened in 1959. Bank celebrated its Silver Jubilee on 18th December 1960 in Pune. Chief Guest was Shri Y. B. Chavan, Chief Minister of the newly formed State of Maharashtra.
      Collection of electricity bills in Bombay, an innovative agency business, launched in 1960.
      The Bank obtained licence from RBI to carry on Foreign Exchange Business in 1960 and started working, appointing correspondents in 34 major countries


      = 1954-1966

      =
      Expansion to Madhya Pradesh: Indore branch opened in 1966.
      Entered into Gujarat: Baroda branch opened in 1966.
      Acquired a plot for own building in Mumbai Fort .
      Social Control was imposed on Banks.
      Bank is assigned the role of Convenor Bank for the State Level Bankers' Committee for Maharastra State.


      = 1967 – 1973

      =
      Entry in Delhi by opening Karol Bagh branch on 19th December 1969.
      Deposits crossed ₹100 crore mark – 1970.
      Regional Offices in Aurangabad, Nagpur and Nasik opened in 1970.
      Full fledged Staff Training College established in Pune in 1971.
      The IKK 101 super computer was installed in the Bank paving the way for computerization in the Bank’s Head Office in 1972.
      Bank’s Nationalisation – 19th July 1969. No of Branches – 153 Total Deposits – ₹78.53 crore Total Advances – ₹55 crore Total Investments – ₹22.15 crore Total number of Employees – 2692 Position among 14 nationalised banks – 13 (based on Deposits & Advances) – 14 (based on branch network).


      = 1973-1977

      =
      A major shift in branch expansion policy was adopted, which paved the way to open more branches outside Maharashtra.
      Branch network spread to Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
      Represented in Bankers’ Conference in Pakistan.
      Marathwada Grameen Bank, the first RRB, established on 26th August 1976.
      Regional Office opened in Bhopal in 1977.


      = 1977-1983

      =
      The deposits of the Bank crossed the figure of ₹500 Crores.
      Initiative for Farmers - During October 1980, “Mahabank Agricultural Research and Rural Development Foundation”, registered as a public trust, was established for undertaking research and extension work and to provide more extensive services to farmers.
      Opened 500th branch in Maharashtra State (671st, all India) at Nariman Point, Bombay, and achieved the distinction of being the first nationalized bank to have more than 500 branches in one state.
      The Pune Stock Exchange was inaugurated on 30th October 1982 and started functioning in the Bank’s premises on Bajirao Road, Pune. The Bank has been instrumental in opening the 11th Stock Exchange of the country and acted as a clearing bank to the PSE providing all the necessary services to the Exchange and its members.
      Regional Offices in Kolkata (1978), Ahmedabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolhapur, Pune Rural, Satara and Solapur (all on 16th April 1979) opened.
      Pune City Region reorganized. Five-tier structure of organization adopted (Central Office, Region, Zone, Division and Branch).


      = 1983-1989

      =
      First Advanced Ledger Posting Machine (ALPM) was installed on 9th April 1985 at the Nariman Point branch, Bombay. More ALPMs were installed at various centres subsequently.
      Reorganization to have three-tier structure in 1985 (C.O., Region and Branch).
      Thane Gramin Bank, the second RRB established on 30th March 1986.
      1000th branch was inaugurated at Indira Vasahat, Bibwewadi, Pune at the auspicious hands of Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, the Honourable Vice President of India on 27th December 1987.
      Rural Development Centres at Hadapsar, Pune and Bhigwan (Pune Dist) were opened.
      The Bank opened its first Service Branch in Bombay on 30th December 1987 at the hands of Shri Amitabh Ghosh, Dy. Governor of the Reserve Bank
      The first overseas branch in Mumbai opened in 1988.


      = 1989-1993

      =
      Six new regional offices opened at Ahmednagar, Amravati, Indore, Latur (25th June 1991) and Goa (30th August 1991).
      The 55th anniversary of the Bank was celebrated on 8th February 1990 at Lokmangal on which occasion “Mahabank Farmer Credit Card“ was launched at the hands of Shri Amitabh Ghosh, Dy. Governor, Reserve Bank of India. Shri H. K. Firodia, President of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture presided over the function.
      Bank entered into “domestic credit card business“ under the Bank of India affiliate programme. With that arrangement, the Bank secured entry in the Master Card world-wide network.
      The year 1990-91 was a year of technological adaptations for the Bank and several steps were taken in the direction of computerization of foreign exchange operations.
      The Bank also became a member of the SWIFT.
      Chairman Club for Branch Managers was introduced.


      = 1993-1995

      =
      In the year 1994-95, the Bank entered its Diamond Jubilee Year.
      The Bank excelled in almost all areas of operations. First and foremost, the Bank showed good operating profit and reduced net losses substantially. A number of loss making branches were noticeably reduced. The Bank also achieved almost all the parameters under the MoU entered into with the Reserve Bank of India. Intensive stress on recovery efforts yielded fruits as a result of which the Non Performing Advances (NPAs) were substantially reduced.
      Thane, Mumbai Suburb, Raigad Regional offices opened in 1994.
      Deposits crossed the ₹5000 crore mark in 1994-95.
      Rationalisation of branches was carried in March 1994 and 12 branches were merged with nearest branches without causing any inconvenience to the customers. Various HRD initiatives have been taken including introduction of fast track promotions.


      = 1995-1997

      =
      The Bank had the distinction of getting “A” category rating in Annual Financial Inspection of RBI for the year 1995-96 against the earlier rating of “C” category.
      ATM services launched in 1997 at Gadkari Chowk, Dadar, Mumbai, Bajirao Road, Pune & Deccan Gymkhana, Pune branches.
      Construction of Bank's own building in Bandra, Mumbai started in 1996 and was completed in the year 2000.


      = 1997-1998

      =
      Strategies for image building and aggressive marketing adopted.
      New Financial services such as Merchant Banking and Credit Card business took momentum. Credit Monitoring System further strengthened.
      Regional Offices in Chennai and Raipur opened in 1998.
      Staff training was given focussed attention.


      = 1998-2000

      =
      The Bank joined VSAT network thus heralding further adoption of new technology.
      Depository services and Demat facilities commenced.
      Information Technology Training Institute was established for giving training to the staff exclusively on IT.


      = 2000-2005

      =
      New deposit schemes, namely, Pearl and Saffire Schemes, Yuva Yojana, Lokbachat Yojana were launched.
      Mahabill Pay Scheme, for payment of telephone and electricity bills was introduced.
      Entered into a joint venture with Magic Software Enterprises (MSE), Israel and Next Step Infotech Pvt.Ltd. and M/s Magic-e-money was incorporated on 23rd November 2000 and commenced working on 19th December 2000. This joint venture catered to all the information technology related needs of the Bank and also sold its products to other banks and financial institutions, both in India and abroad.
      ‘Behavioural Science Learning Centre’, a training centre for employees, was inaugurated in Pune.
      Credit Administration and Monitoring System (CREAM) was implemented by creating comprehensive data base of all borrowal accounts.
      The Bank entered into Bancassurance business by having tie-up arrangement with LIC of India for Life policies and with the United India Insurance Co. Ltd. for non-life policies.
      Organisation structure reorganized to have 4-tier structure (C.O., Circle Office, Regional Office and Branch).
      Bank brought out IPO in March 2004 offering share capital of ₹100 crore to the public with a premium of ₹130 crore (₹13 per share) and listed in BSE and NSE.


      = 2006-2008

      =
      On 1st October 2007, the Bank was awarded the Best Bank Award for Solar Water Heating Programme by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt of India.
      Tie-up arrangements were made for distibution of mutual fund products with M/s Franklin Templeton Investments.
      Embarked on CBS project and first branch, Karve Nagar, Pune was rolled over on 13th November 2006.
      Internet Banking launched in 2007.
      Bank's ATM network reached 345.


      = 2008-2010

      =
      For the benefit of senior citizen customers, Central Pension Processing Centre was established in January 2009. Pension Payment Branch, an exclusive branch for pensioners in Pune was opened in February 2009.
      Jaipur Regional office opened on 20th February 2009.
      Controlling Offices reorganized to have 3-tier structure.
      Bank entered its Platinum Jubilee Year.
      Bank adopted 75 villages for their integrated development.
      Bank achieved 100% CBS in record time thus bringing connectivity of all the branches.
      Total Business crossed ₹One Lakh crore on 31st March 2010.
      75 branches were opened in Platinum Jubilee Year taking total number of branches past 1500.
      Launched "Mahamobile", mobile banking services on 2nd March 2010.
      Launched "Maha-e-trade", Online share trading product on 8th February 2010.


      See also



      Banking in India
      List of banks in India
      Reserve Bank of India
      Indian Financial System Code
      List of largest banks
      List of companies of India
      Make in India


      References




      External links


      Official website

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