The agreement signed between Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) and Citigroup has been cancelsd. According to this agreement the two were to sell the mortgage lender’s loan products under the American bank’s India network.
In this working agreement the two has agreed for cross-selling each other’s products recently, which followed the increase of Citigroup venture in HDFC to 12.3 percent and also nominated its representatives in HDFC board. Citigroup officially describes its venture in HDFC as a financial investment.
According to banking sources Citigroup and HDFC are not going ahead with their plan as it would have created a conflict of interest between HDFC Bank and its promoter, HDFC. HDFC Bank has not launched its own home loan products and instead sells HDFC loans for a fee. HDFC holds around 23.32 per cent in the bank.
Citigroup, in response to an email query, said, “We will have to decline comment.”
HDFC did not reply to an email sent a week back.
In May, managing director of HDFC, Keki Mistry, said that the agreement between HDFC’s and Citigroup will be worked out in such a way that there would be no conflict of interest with HDFC bank.
HDFC recently while filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission with regard to its $700 million American depository receipts issue, recently released a statement that, “the bank may face potential conflicts of interest relating to our principal shareholder, HDFC Limited."
HDFC and Citigroup had plans to expand their cross-sell relationship beyond home loans, which were to be sold based on the mortgage lender’s risk criteria.
When HDFC decided to make a preferential allotment to private equity investor Carlyle Group, Citigroup sought a preferential allotment to itself to ensure the US financial services provider’s venture in HDFC remains at 12.3 per cent.
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