By Ademola Alawiye

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has asked depositors of closed microfinance banks yet to collect their insured deposits to visit selected agent banks for their money.

A statement by the NDIC said it had completed arrangements to transfer the payment of the insured depositors to seven agents that would in turn pay depositors.

It said, “NDIC, in its capacity as the liquidator of the closed microfinance banks, is pleased to announce that it has completed arrangements to transfer the verification and payment of insured deposits of the closed MFBs to seven agent banks to start from August 29, 2011.

“Members of the public would recall that the corporation had on two separate occasions in the last six months dispatched its staff to the premises of the closed MFBs across the country where verified depositors were referred to the nearest branches of Intercontinental Bank Plc for payment.”

It added that the assignment, which lasted two weeks, had succeeded in the payment of N2.103bn to about 72, 000 depositors.

On the agent banks, it said, “In view of the fact the corporation staff cannot be stationed permanently in those locations, depositors that have yet to collect their insured amounts have the opportunity to do so now as the corporation has turned over the duty of verification and payment to seven agent banks.”

On the procedure for filling claims, it said, “In order to expedite the claim process, depositors are required to present their savings passbooks, withdrawal slips, cheque books, term deposits certificates, statement of accounts and other documents as proof of account ownership.”

NDIC said it had so far paid N6.151bn of N11.57bn dividend declared to depositors of the 35 Deposit Money Banks that were closed during the pre-consolidation era.

The Managing Director, NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, recently said at a forum in Lagos that the corporation had also paid N3.303bn of N5.241bn insured deposits of the 35 banks.

Ibrahim, who was represented by the corporation’s Head, Corporate Communications, Alhaji Sule Birchi, added that NDIC had concluded the payment of N2.03bn to 69,000 depositors of 91 out of 92 microfinance banks who approached the corporation to claim their deposits.

“Arrangements have also been concluded to continue with the payment through branches of Intercontinental Bank Plc and Unity Bank Plc. I’m happy to state that we have concluded arrangements to commence payment of insured depositors of Fortune and Triumph Banks through Access Bank Plc and Intercontinental Bank,” Ibrahim said.

Source: Punch