HDFC Bank shares fall as 3 US law firms launch probe over alleged federal law violations
Shares of HDFC Bank slipped more than 1% on Friday after three separate US law firms announced investigations into whether the Indian private lender violated
Shares of HDFC Bank slipped more than 1% on Friday after three separate US law firms announced investigations into whether the Indian private lender violated federal securities laws by allegedly disguising Rs 45 crore in payments to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) as marketing spend.HDFC Bank shares dropped to Rs 737.25 apiece on NSE on Friday. The shares of India’s largest private lender have now crashed 10% over five sessions since the release of its Q1 earnings last weekend.Why are 3 US law firms probing HDFC Bank?Los Angeles-based Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP, the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith in Pennsylvania, along with the Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz in Century City have each said that they are looking into potential securities law violations by HDFC Bank and are inviting the lender’s shareholders who suffered losses to come forward, The Economic Times reported.These three law firms are yet to disclose whether their investigations have progressed into a formal class action filing.
Such cases typically see US securities firms using these early-stage probe announcements to identify a lead plaintiff before petitioning a federal court, a process that can take weeks to months.HDFC Bank did not respond to a query from The Economic Times.Also Read | Three US law firms probe HDFC Bank over alleged Maharashtra deposit payments Notably, the investigation dates back to a report which claimed that HDFC Bank had made payments to Maharashtra's road development corporation in order to attract large deposits from the state agency.A report in The Indian Express said the payments were allegedly made to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), a state government agency, just days before former chairman Atanu Chakraborty resigned on March 18.The Indian Express investigation, based on internal records, found that the payments were intended for Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation as “differential interest”, or interest paid above the specified rate on its deposits.
However, instead of being directly credited to MSRDC’s account as interest income, the funds were allegedly routed through the bank’s marketing department and shown as contributions towards a road safety awareness campaign via four local vendors.HDFC Bank however had strongly denied the allegations of wrongdoing. "The bank has robust internal oversight, audit and control processes and systems. All issues are dealt with in accordance with the bank's established norms, and full process is always followed before final determination post any internal review. We strongly reject any assumptions of wrongdoing or culpability based on selective material," the bank said in a statement.HDFC Bank share priceHDFC Bank shares have fallen around 10% in one week and 7% in a month, dropping more than 25% in 2026 so far. In the longer term, the shares of the Indian private lender have delivered negative returns of 26% in one year and 12% in three years, although it gained 3% in five years.HDFC Bank last Saturday reported a 5% year-on-year (YoY) rise in net profit to Rs 19,060 crore for Q1 FY27, while NII rose 7% YoY to Rs 33,534 crore.Also Read | HDFC Bank, 3 other bank stocks wipe out Rs 1.5 lakh crore of investors' wealth after Q1.
The BriefWire