New Delhi, Sept. 25 -- A bank is never too old to explore new territory. After almost a century of staying predominantly in its home base of Kerala, South Indian Bank is preparing to look beyond its regional roots. Now, under the oversight of a former central banker, the 97-year-old lender is looking to step out of its comfort zone and build a national footprint.

"We have been a Kerala-based bank, but we will move into other areas. Now our presence in the western area has increased and we see the economy growing in certain areas like Maharashtra, Gujarat and the national capital and we will move into these territories," chairman Jose Kattoor said in an interview.

Kattoor, who was appointed in March, worked at the Reserve Bank of India (...