BoG Charges Bank to Act Decisively on Fake Land Titles and Forged Collateral Docs

The Bank of Ghana has ordered bank Chief Executive Officers to take decisive action after uncovering widespread fraud involving fake land titles and forged third-party collateral used to secure loans.

Governor Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama issued the warning at the Post-130th MPC Heads of Banks meeting on June 16, 2026, saying the trend is undermining loan recovery and threatening financial stability.

“The Bank has observed troubling instances involving fraudulent land title documentation used to support credit applications. Additionally, our supervisory work has identified growing fraud risks associated with third-party collateral arrangements.

“Properties have been pledged without the knowledge of legitimate owners, ownership documents have been forged, and consent letters falsified,” Dr Asiama stated.

The Governor said the fallout goes beyond individual banks.

“When collateral cannot be legally enforced, loan recoveries are compromised, balance sheets are weakened, and public confidence is undermined,” he warned.

With the industry NPL ratio still at 18.0% despite improvements, BoG says bad collateral is a major drag on asset quality.

At the same time, Dr Asiama charged banks to address control weaknesses within their operations, because gaps in internal systems are what allow forged documents to pass through undetected.

Finally, he called for decisive disciplinary action against staff involved in misconduct, stressing that accountability must be enforced from the top down to deter future breaches.

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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