Inss freezes r$2 billion from banco master and may return money to retirees

Banco Master (Imagem ilustrativa) Foto: ROVENA ROSA/AGÊNCIA BRASIL

#Banco Master

The National Institute of Social Security (INSS) has decided to block the transfer of funds to Banco Master due to serious suspicions of irregularities in loan agreements made with retirees and pensioners

Since September of last year, Banco Master has been prohibited from offering new loans to these beneficiaries, as its cooperation agreement with the INSS was not renewed.

Even so, the institute continued to send the amounts related to old contracts that were still in progress.

Now, however, everything has changed: approximately R$2 billion, related to about 254,000 contracts, are being withheld by the INSS.

The freeze occurred after a significant increase in complaints from retirees and pensioners, pointing to problems with loans made through the bank.

Upon analyzing the situation, the INSS found several flaws: incomplete documents, lack of mandatory information, and, most importantly, difficulties in validating electronic signatures-many of which appear without the QR code that would allow confirmation of their authenticity.

The president of the INSS (Brazilian National Social Security Institute), Gilberto Waller Júnior, explained that the agency repeatedly requested the bank (including before the liquidation) to send the correct proof of signatures and authenticity of the contracts, but did not receive satisfactory responses.

Therefore, the funds are being held as a protective measure.

Now, with Banco Master in extrajudicial liquidation, the INSS has scheduled a meeting with the responsible liquidator, Eduardo Félix Bianchi, to define a final deadline.

If, within this period, the bank cannot prove that the contracts were valid and that the individuals actually agreed to the loans, all these loans will be canceled.

In that case, the money that has already been improperly deducted from benefits will be returned directly to retirees and pensioners.

According to the INSS, this measure serves to protect beneficiaries, ensure that the rules are followed, and maintain the security of the loan system.

Meanwhile, the funds are being held by the agency until everything is clarified.

Published in 01/18/2026 17h16

Portuguese version

Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.

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