SME Loan Red Flags: What Every Banker Must Identify Early Vinu: Manu, when an SME loan proposal comes in, what is the first red flag you look for? Manu: Unrealistic growth. If last year’s turnover is ₹2 crore and the proposal shows ₹4 crore next year without capacity expansion, it’s a warning. Vinu:...
Why Financial Projections Fail: A Banker’s Guide to Stress Testing Vinu: Manu, most borrowers submit detailed projections. Yet many of them fail in reality. Why? Manu: Because projections are usually optimistic, not operational. They reflect what promoters hope will happen, not what the business can...
Post-Sanction Monitoring: The Monthly Checklist Every Banker Must Follow Vinu: Manu, once a loan is sanctioned, what should a banker actually track every month? Manu: Three things—account conduct, cash flow behaviour, and compliance with sanction terms. Vinu: Let’s start with account conduct. What d...
Term Loan Appraisal Mistakes: Why Good Projects Turn into Bad Loans Vinu: Manu, while appraising term loan projects, where do bankers usually go wrong? Manu: The first mistake is trusting the project cost and estimates blindly, without validating quotations, capacity and market reality. Vinu: Can yo...
Fund Flow Analysis for Bankers: How to Track Long-Term Financial Health Vinu: Manu, bankers focus a lot on cash flow. Why is fund flow analysis still important? Manu: Because fund flow explains movement of long-term funds. It shows how funds were sourced and how they were applied over time. Vinu: Le...