Except for a small percentage of those who borrow from the bank, all the rest repay the loan punctually. The bank allows a loan that falls within the salary limit, only after checking the salary certificate of the employed persons and calculating how much rupees they can repay without any delay. Majority of borrowers have adopted the method of direct deduction of repayment instalments when the salary reaches the bank account. Therefore there is no possibility of delay in repayment except in case of job loss.

Banks operate on the profit they earn by lending money to people for small business, education and other purposes. Millionaires are the ones who have cheated such banks the most. Not to mention those who borrow tens of crores of rupees and then go abroad and enjoy a comfortable life without paying it back. If a rich person defaults on repayment, the bank officials will talk to him very gently. However, if small borrowers default on repayments, bank staff generally take a different approach. Some will be threatened and some will be yelled at. Attempts have also been made in the past to aggravate the problem by going to their business establishments and speaking publicly and humiliating the borrowers in the community. If the loan defaults, the bank should try to recover it through legal action.

Binu, a fifty-year-old petty trader in Kudamaloor, took his own life because the bank officials took an illegal route. It should be understood that he is not someone who took the loan to stick to the bank. Five lakhs was taken as a loan. Fourteen thousand rupees were repaid every month. Arrears of two months were made. The family alleges that they went to Binu's shoe shop and threatened him and took money from the cash box.

No one who presupposes that they want to cheat the bank will commit suicide. Those who sincerely believe that they have to repay the loan after taking it get very sad when it defaults. There should be an understanding approach on the part of the bank about this. Had the bank intervened judiciously, two young girls would not have lost their father. People protested in front of the Karnataka Bank branch at Nagampadam with the dead body. The protestors demanded that a case be filed against the bank officials. The relatives and DYFI activists ended the blockade after the Kottayam DYSP assured that an investigation would be conducted and action would be taken against the culprits. The bank has denied all the allegations. In any case, the incident should be investigated by the responsible agency. The lapse on the part of the bank authorities, if any, should come out. It is imperative that such unfortunate incidents do not recur.