MH370: Banks start contacting families to settle loans

KUALA LUMPUR - BANKS have started contacting families of passengers on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 to settle their loans.

Zamani Zakaria, 56, the father of Mohd Razahan Zamani, 33, said a bank officer contacted him regarding his son's housing loan.

The bank, he said, requested a confirmation letter from Malaysia Airlines that his son and daughter-in-law, Norli Akmar Hamid, 33, were among the missing passengers.

"I now need to contact MAS for the official letter and discuss the next course of action," he said, adding that his son's employer also visited his family on Wednesday and gave them his salary for last month.

"The employer praised my son for his hard work, dedication and gave us his March salary. I am not sure whether they will continue paying him."

Zamani said they were not affected financially as he was still working.

"He (Razahan) used to give his mother some money for monthly expenses. She is feeling it now. She is also still finding it hard to accept our son's and daughter-in-law's fate."

Passenger S. Puspanathan's father, G. Subramaniam, 60, said the banks and insurance companies had not contacted him regarding his son's loans or policies. He said his wife and son jointly bought the house that they were living in, but the banks had not contacted them regarding the repayment.

"I am assuming that my daughter-in-law is servicing the loan. That is why they have not contacted us."

He said if the Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA) coverage for their house offsets only the son's portion of the loan, he would have to look for ways to service the balance.

"My son used to take care of our expenses. But now, I am planning to work as a security guard again to manage our expenses."

In Ipoh, Choi Loong Chow, the husband of MH370 air stewardess Goh Sock Lay, said he was contacted by two insurance companies on Thursday and they offered to pay him compensation.

"One was from the insurance company appointed by MAS while the other was from my wife's personal insurance."

Choi, 48, said the companies offered to pay him compensation with no questions asked.

"I accept the money with a heavy heart as I believe my wife is still alive. Without the plane wreckage or bodies, I will never accept she is gone."

The family of civil engineer Tan Ah Meng, however, refused to speak to reporters at their home at Kampung Baru Kanthan in Chemor.

Tan, 46, his Taiwanese wife, Chuang Hsiu Leng, 48, and their eldest son, Tan Wei Chen, 19, were among those on board the flight.