PETALING JAYA: Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) has acknowledged issuing a notice that oil and gas employees' personal loan applications will be rejected upfront.
"Yes, it is actually an internal memo," BSN strategic communications head Puspa Marina Omar told The Star on Thursday.
"The decision we made internally in terms of our operation is in terms of the bank's business, and is temporary," she said, adding that BSN is responding to the current economic climate.
However, Puspa said that the memo was internal and not meant for public release.
In response to an earlier comment by a BSN customer service representative who said that the notice was fake, Puspa said the memo was only meant for business units and high-level executives.
A screenshot of an email on the leaked BSN notice has been shared on instant messaging platforms.
The email states that: "All personal loans, credit cards, HP [hire purchase] loans for applications from employees from the oil & gas sector to be rejected upfront."
It also ordered sales executives to stop marketing and accepting applications from oil and gas employees.
The notice did not apply to non-contract employees of Petronas, but their applications would be subject to approval from headquarters.
According to the notice, mortgage loan applications and applications which have already been processed, would also require approval from headquarters.