New Delhi, Sept. 18 -- PSU bank stocks were in focus on Friday, September 18, with several public sector lenders trading higher after a document making rounds on social media claimed that several smaller PSU banks would be merged with larger lenders under a proposed government-backed consolidation plan.

The government, however, has dismissed the document as fake and clarified that it was not issued by the Ministry of Finance. The clarification comes after the purported notification circulated online and was presented in the format of an official government gazette.

Bank of Maharashtra added 2% to Rs.82.33 per share, while SBI rose around 1% to the day's high of Rs.993.00.

Punjab National Bank also gained 1% to Rs.118.

Central Bank of ...