Malaysian Banks Offer Flood Relief Assistance For Impacted Customers

Alex Cheong Pui Yin

20th December 2021 - 8 min read

In a bid to assist the victims of the recent flooding that has hit Malaysia, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz has said that his ministry is working with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and various banking associations to offer payment assistance programmes for borrowers affected by the floods.

In the meantime, several banks have taken the initiative to quickly announce flood assistance programmes so that their affected customers can begin to reconstruct their lives as soon as possible. Here are some immediate aids that are being provided by the following banks:

Alliance Bank

Alliance Bank’s flood relief assistance programme will allow impacted individuals and businesses to extend their loan and financing moratorium by up to six months. Customers may also speak to bank personnel for loan repayment modifications, if applicable. On top of that, Alliance Bank said that it will waive finance and fee charges for selected services, such as the replacement of debit and ATM cards damaged or lost in the flood.

You may contact Alliance Bank’s contact centre at 03-5516 9988, or speak to their relationship managers directly for assistance.

(Source: Alliance Bank)

AmBank

AmBank has also rolled out a flood relief programme to help its affected retail, as well as small and medium enterprise (SME) customers. They will be offered a moratorium of up to six months for all loan and financing facilities, including credit cards, with no late or penalty charges imposed during the moratorium period. To apply, you can:

Email your request to [email protected], along with supporting documents (such as a police report or a confirmation letter from the National Security Council (KKM))
Visit the nearest AmBank branch
Call the contact centre at 03-2178 8888 (individual customers)

On top of these, AmBank customers who wish to replace damaged or lost passbooks, cheque books, fixed deposit certificates, as well as ATM, credit, and debit cards will also be exempted from any replacement fees.

(Source: AmBank [1, 2])

Bank Islam

Under Bank Islam’s Prihatin Programme for Flood, all affected customers with financing facilities will be able to apply for financial relief of up to six months on their monthly commitments. However, terms and conditions apply – so customers will need to reach out to bank personnel for clarification. Aside from that, the bank has also agreed to waive the replacement fees for damaged or lost debit-i cards and cheque books.

You can contact the bank’s call centre at 03-26 900 900 for more information, or send your questions to [email protected]. Alternatively, you can also visit the nearest bank branch, or visit Bank Islam’s website.

(Source: Bank Islam [1, 2])

Bank Muamalat

Bank Muamalat has also shared its willingness to assist affected customers on its social media, noting that “[a]ffected customers can contact the bank to discuss any issues related to a refund of funding in case of financial difficulties following the floods.” It did not, however, clarify specific aids that may be offered.

The bank also stated that customers who are replacing their debit cards will not be charged any fees.

(Source: Bank Muamalat)

Bank Simpanan Nasional

BSN, too, has drawn up a flood relief programme to provide loan and financing repayment assistance, but did not share much details on its announcement page. Instead, it noted that customers should call the BSN contact centre at 1-300-88-1900 for more information, or email their enquiries to [email protected].

You may also include the following details in your email if you are ready to apply for the programme:

Name
IC number
Telephone number
Type of financing (e.g. home loans, hire purchase, personal loans, etc.)
Other relevant details (e.g. vehicle registration number for hire purchase)
Financing reference number (if applicable)
Home/workplace/business premise address

(Source: BSN)

CIMB Bank

CIMB said that it will provide affected customers with a six-month payment relief on loan and financing product for both affected individual and business customers. To apply, they will only need to provide their basic information. In addition to that, CIMB will waive late charges and fees for impacted customers, along with the replacement charges for replacements of credit and debit card, passbooks, and bankers’ cheques. You will not need to pay for statement requests as well.

Furthermore, affected SME customers in need of additional cash flow assistance can also enquire about a disaster relief facility of up to RM500,000 at a preferential preferential rate.

Those who would like to find out more or apply for CIMB’s flood relief assistance plan can do so by calling the bank’s contact centre at +603 6204 7788. SME borrowers, meanwhile, can apply online through CIMB’s website.

(Source: CIMB Bank)

Hong Leong Bank

Similar to many other banks, affected Hong Leong Bank customers can tap into a flood relief assistance programme, which also provides a six-month payment deferment on all loan and financing facilities, including credit cards. This applies to individual, SME, and microenterprise customers. On top of that SME and microenterprise customers can request for additional financing if they are in need of extra help for the recovery of their businesses.

Individual borrowers who are interested can apply by:

Registering via a dedicated webpage (supporting document is required, such as a photo of your flooded premises)
Responding to a direct SMS from Hong Leong
Calling the bank’s flood relief assistance hotline at 03-7957 1888
Sending an email to [email protected]
Visiting the nearest Hong Leong branch

SME and corporate customers, meanwhile, are required to contact their relationship managers.

Aside from that, HLB is also replacing debit and credit cards, along with cheque books damaged or lost in the floods for free. You can call 03-7626 8899 to request for the replacements, or also walk in to your nearest Hong Leong branch during operating hours.

(Source: Hong Leong Bank)

Maybank

As for Maybank’s flood relief assistance programme, individual, SME, and other non-retail customers will be able to tap into several aids, including deferment of loan and financing payments, reduction in monthly instalments, and extension of repayment tenure. These will be determined on a case-by-case basis, with different aids offered depending on the bank’s assessment of your situation.

Additionally, Maybank is also waiving the fees and charges for services such as the replacement of debit and ATM cards, as well as cheque books lost or damaged during the floods. This is on top of waiver for late charges for credit cards of affected customers.

Maybank customers can apply for Maybank’s flood relief assistance by visiting any of the bank branches, SME centres, business banking centres, or auto finance centres nationwide. Alternatively, they can send an email to [email protected], along with relevant details such as:

Name/Company name
IC number/Business registration
Contact number
Type of loan (e.g. mortgage, hire purchase, etc)
Other relevant details (e.g. vehicle number for hire purchase)

(Source: Maybank)

Public Bank

Affected Public Bank customers will be able to request for a moratorium of up to six months for their loan and financing facilities, including credit cards. The bank also offers a waiver of charges on the replacement of documents such as bank cards, passbooks, and cheque books that were damaged or lost in the floods.

Customers can contact Public Bank’s call centre at 1800-22-555 for further assistance, or visit any Public Bank branches nationwide.

(Source: Public Bank)

RHB Bank

RHB clarified that its flood relief assistance programme will offer the following relief to individual customers who have been affected by the recent floods:

Types of financing	Aid provided
Mortgages and ASB loans/financing	Six-month deferment of instalment
Hire purchase and personal loans/financing	Three-month deferment of instalment
Credit cards	Three-month waiver of late payment charges and interest (up to a total of RM500)

SME customers, meanwhile, will be entitled to a deferment of instalment, interest, and bill payment for up to six months – depending on whether you are currently enrolled under RHB’s targeted repayment assistance programme or not. These deferments will apply to hire purchase and term loans, overdrafts, and multi-trade lines.

For more information, you can send an email to RHB at [email protected] or visit the nearest bank branch.

(Source: RHB Bank [1, 2])

***

Aside from banks, many insurers within the country, too, have sought to provide relief for the flood victims by putting in place a more convenient and faster claims submission process. This is on top of the RM1,000 cash aid that the government has promised to affected households. It is hoped that these provisions will offer some form of support to impacted individuals as they recover from their losses.

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Alex Cheong Pui Yin

Previously covered recruitment-related stories and had a short stint as a copywriter for the property industry. She subsequently developed an interest in investment and robo-advisors.

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