ICICI Bank sends legal notice to HDFC Bank official

ICICI Bank has sent a legal notice to a senior official of HDFC Bank, for airing views on ICICI in a business magazine. Mandeep Maitra, the officer in question, who is the head of human resources at HDFC Bank, told the magazine that she was careful in hiring people from ICICI Bank simply because she did not want the “ICICI culture” to seep into the bank she works for.

Having worked in bank for more than a year, I know for the fact that HDFC do attracted a lot of ICICI employees in past. Both the banks have been fighting for the second place in banking sector after SBI but still some decorum has to be maintained from all sides. ICICI for its part has never gone on and commented on any other banks positions. But most of the officials who leave ICICI Bank and join other banks have been taking pot shots at previous employer.

Ms Maitra is alleged to have said, “Of course, the first thing I ask is ‘How many of you are from ICICI Bank?’ I do not want that culture out here.” ICICI Bank has taken offence to this comment. The notice seeks an apology from Ms Maitra and was sent to her in her individual capacity and not to the bank, something an ICICI Bank official clarified. ICICI Bank believes she was acting ‘out of context’ and it was unbecoming and unprofessional of her to have made such a comment.