EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF THE INDIAN BANK-ALLAHABAD BANK MERGER ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

The Government of India’s banking consolidation strategy of strengthening the banking sector involved the merger of Indian Bank and Allahabad Bank from April 1, 2020. It examines the effect of the merger on Indian Bank’s asset quality, profitability and capital adequacy by using secondary data obtained from annual reports, financial statements and RBI publications. It also deals with the customer satisfaction levels and operational challenges after merger also it looks at the technological integration that has increased the operational efficiency and also customer experience. The findings indicate that the merger has improved Indian Bank’s financial performance in terms of improved asset quality and capital adequacy ratios. Initial challenges in integrating operations and aligning customer services were there. The post-merger technological upgrade greatly helped in streamlining the processes and improved delivery of customer service. Although technological efficiency has improved the customer satisfaction, operational difficulties, such as rationalization of branches and integration of systems, were temporary. According to the research, the merger has placed Indian Bank in a good position to grow sustainably with its operational capability and customer centric services improved. The results offer important policy and banking institution lessons regarding operational efficiency and customer satisfaction in the post-merger phase. Keywords: Merger, Asset Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Technological Integration