Bandhan Bank Limited (NSEI:BANDHANBNK) has invited offers for its INR 7,750 million distressed affordable housing loan portfolio, likely an indicator of the emerging stress among the lower-income group, said people with knowledge of the offers. The private lender's portfolio comprises 8,529 accounts given to affordable home buyers with average principal loans ranging between INR 0.10 million and INR 0.12 million. The bank invited offers in cash by December 2, the people cited above said.

Bandhan Bank did not respond to ET's request for comments. The sale of an affordable home loan portfolio by Bandhan Bank also resonates with the concerns expressed by the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) growth of unsecured loans, which prompted the regulator to raise the risk weightings on such loans last month.