According to data released by the Reserve Bank of India for the April to December 2016 period, which bank witnessed the highest number of fraud cases among the listed banks?

Introduction / Context:
This general knowledge question examines awareness of banking related current affairs. It focuses on Reserve Bank of India data on fraud cases reported by banks during a specific period, April to December 2016. Such facts are important for exams that test knowledge of the financial sector, risk management issues, and the regulatory role of the central bank.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The time period considered is April to December 2016.
• The figures come from official RBI data on fraud cases in banks.
• The question asks about the bank that had the highest number of fraud incidents, not necessarily the highest amount involved.
• The options are four well known banks: HDFC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, SBI Bank, and ICICI Bank.

Concept / Approach:
The concept here is straightforward factual recall. RBI periodically publishes statistics on frauds in different banks. During the mentioned period, media reports highlighted that ICICI Bank recorded the highest number of fraud cases, even though State Bank of India may have higher overall exposure or size. The answer is determined by remembering this specific ranking.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall news reports summarising RBI data on bank frauds for 2016.Step 2: Identify which bank was reported as having the maximum number of fraud cases in the April to December window.Step 3: Recognise that ICICI Bank was named as the bank with the most fraud incidents in that period.Step 4: Choose ICICI Bank from the options provided.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by remembering that State Bank of India is often the largest in terms of business volume, but many news pieces about fraud counts specifically mentioned ICICI Bank leading in the number of cases as per RBI data for that time span.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A: HDFC Bank is a major private sector bank but did not top this particular list for number of frauds in the given period.
Option B: Standard Chartered Bank has a smaller network in India and was not ranked first on this metric.
Option C: SBI Bank, although very large, was not reported as having the maximum number of cases during April to December 2016.

Common Pitfalls:
Many candidates may guess State Bank of India because of its size, assuming more customers means more frauds. However, exam questions often require remembering exact rankings rather than relying on general assumptions. Carefully reading financial news summaries helps avoid such mistakes.

Final Answer:
The bank that witnessed the highest number of frauds during April to December 2016 as per RBI data was ICICI Bank.