State Bank of TravancoreKochi: The State Bank of India has clarified that it would not immediately close down the branches of the State Bank of Travancore that merged with it recently.
The assurance has come after the list of SBT branches that have been identified for closure after the merger was doing the rounds.
Now the bank is focusing on coordinating the functions of the employees as well as the customers.
The SBT branches will continue to function as SBI branches for the time being, it has been clarified.
On winding up a branch, the SBI would have to surrender its license with the Reserve Bank of India.
The bank does not intend to take any such action at present. It intends to relocate certain SBT branches within the same panchayat and municipal areas where they are functioning at present.
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This mostly applies in the case of branches of the two banks that had been functioning in a locale or in the same building before the merger.
The SBI had identified 189 branches that needs to be relocated after the merger long back. The process would be completed only within a year or two and for the time being the branches would function without any hitch.
Now the priority is for training SBT staff to sell the banking products and improving the service to customers.
Such training is progressing at various centers. Care should be taken to protect the customer base of SBT, so that other banks would not canvass them. Employees should ensure that they are getting the same service even after the merger.
But employees who have completed three years at one branch are being transferred. Additional posts are also being created for ensuring the efficient disbursal of loans to customers at certain branches.
