Bankers said that postponing the installments to customers whose work or jobs were affected by the Corona virus begins with the salary of next April, and not this March, explaining that banking systems cannot postpone now due to the delay in time, in addition to the discounts that were made on the salaries of some employees or stop them start From April, meaning that March salaries are delivered to them in full without any discounts.
They assured «Emirates Today» that customers have to wait several days until each bank informs customer service of all the details, then their inquiries can be answered.
Emirates Today received dozens of communications from clients, especially in the aviation, real estate and retail sectors, stating that their banks refused to postpone the March installment due to their personal funds, and not to implement the initiatives of the Central Bank or those of Dubai or Abu Dhabi banks.
It is noteworthy that the Central Bank recently issued a mechanism to implement the financial support program, which it decided at 100 billion dirhams, in which it indicated to banks the possibility to postpone the installments of up to six months for those affected by the "Corona".
In detail, the banking expert, Awatef Al Harmoudi, said that the central bank has developed a comprehensive umbrella for banks, which requires facilitation for customers, as each bank issued its own initiative or within a group, as in specific banks in the Emirate of Dubai, meaning that the regulatory matters are left to the banks, so it will not The banks will be able to postpone the March installments, indicating that the internal work systems have not been modified, because of the delay in time, so postponement will be available with the April salary.
Al Harmoudi added that the banks will start within the next few days to complete internal affairs, and inform their clients of the procedures that they must follow, in addition to informing customer service centers of all the details, so that they can respond to all inquiries.
For her part, the banking expert, Sheikha Al-Ali, said that there is a lack of understanding of the decisions issued by the central bank and banks alike, as customers perceive that they are binding, and they must start from March.
She indicated that the banks received messages from the main parties affected by the repercussions of "Corona", such as airlines, some retailers, and real estate companies, which confirmed that the discount or salary cuts will start from April and not in March, so banks consider implementing the initiatives in conjunction with declining income The actual customer.
In turn, an official at Dubai Islamic Bank, who preferred not to be named, said that “some customers are demanding to postpone credit card entitlements, and this is not possible,” explaining that what was provided by some banks is the postponement of personal financing, with discounts on some use of the cards, or installments due It is required in a specific way to be decided by each bank in the context of mitigating the affected clients.
He added that the banks are trying to help, but at the same time, the bank's money and depositors must be preserved.
He pointed out that many customers are demanding to postpone the March installments, despite the absence of any letter from their employer stating a discount or a reduction in his salary, calling on customers to wait for all the details that will be issued during the coming days.
The official stressed the banks ’understanding of what the customers are going through, indicating that there will be a facility for those affected, up to six months for companies and individuals.
Banks will start completing internal matters and informing their clients of the procedures they must follow.