ICICI, HDFC Bank follow SBI; revise FD rates by up to 0.5 pc

Mumbai, September 12: Private sector banks like ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank on Wednesday reduced interest rates on fixed deposits by atleast 50 basis point. The reduction in deposit rates comes at a time when the economy is slowing down and credit pick up is slack. One basis point is equal to one hundredth of a percentage. Last week, State Bank of India had reduced interest rate on deposits by as much as 100 basis points across maturities to maintain profitability after lowering lending rates.

 

ICICI Bank has cut rates across maturities ranging from 91 days to less than five years. It now offers a maximum 8.75 per cent interest on retail term deposits compared to 9.25 per cent earlier. In the shorter tenure ranging between seven days to 45 days, however, the bank has increased rate by 50-75 basis points. A reduction in statutory reserve ratio, the amount of funds to be held in government bonds, by a percentage point is also help the banks lend Rs 15,000 crore more to corporate or retail customers. Deposits grew 14.1% year on year against RBI's projection of 16%.

 

Pratip Chaudari, chairman State Bank of India had said, “As of now, we are surplus in deposit for SBI. The challenge is more on pushing credit.” Also, the cut in SLR is providing some comfort. This is helping banks in meeting the credit demand, which is climbing marginally. Recent RBI data shows that credit has grown 16.7% year on year.

 

‘We could see the private players now reduce lending rates to get competitive as many public sector banks like State Bank of India and Andhra Bank have cut rates on select retail products,’ said a banking analyst with a domestic brokerage. ICICI Bank is also doing this to maintain a healthy margin of over 3%, he added.

ICICI Bank to add Facebook as Transaction Platform

Hyderabad, September 5: ICICI Bank will soon add another online platform for dispensing its banking transaction services — Facebook. The country’s largest private sector lender was the first bank in India to use the social media site to provide services such as account enquiry and request for cheque.  Now it is preparing to take this initiative one step forward by offering transaction services, such as deposit or transfer of money, to its Facebook customers. This is part of its efforts to provide next-gen banking solutions, in line with its ‘Khayaal Aapka’ (your care) philosophy.
Next-Gen solutions: It has recently added tablet banking and e-locker services to its range of technology products such as Internet and mobile banking. E-Locker is a virtual online locker, which can be used to safely store electronically scanned copies of important documents in various formats. Mukesh Kumar Jain, the bank’s Chief Technology Officer, said the bank was working on this technology and indicated that it could come out with this new service in the next few months.
Social media channels will, in the near future, form an important platform for banking services, he told media-persons here today. He was in the city to launch the bank’s electronic branch, Tab Banking and E-Locker services, as part of the bank’s nation-wide rollout of next-gen banking solutions.
Security issues: In response to a question, Jain said security was not a challenge in offering transaction services through the social media platform. He said this platform will not only make it easier for customers to make use of bank services but will also help the bank expand its customer base.
Jain said although mobile banking customers formed a small group today, two-thirds of the bank’s transactions were being done through ATMs and the Internet. He said the ICICI Bank page on Facebook already has seven lakh fans. A recent study by global consultancy major KPMG had revealed that businesses in India and other emerging markets are using social media platforms more than their developed market peers to expand customer relationships.

SBI to cut processing and conversion fees on home loans

With the advent of festival season India’s largest lender – SBI has embarked upon a special campaign to ramp up its home loan book. It is going to reduce the processing fee for home loans to Rs.1,000 per loan irrespective of the size. The offer would be made available from September 1 onwards, a senior bank official told.
With the advent of festival season India's largest lender - the State Bank of India (SBI) has embarked upon a special campaign to ramp up its home loan book. It is going to reduce the processing fee for home loans to Rs.1000 per loan irrespective of the size. The offer would be made available from September 01 onwards, a senior bank official told.
Currently, loan processing is at 0.25% of the loan amount subject to a cap of Rs 6,500 for loans upto Rs.75 lakhs. For any higher loan amount, the maximum fee ceiling is Rs.10,000.  For example, if you apply for a loan of Rs. 20 lakhs, you need to pay a processing charge of Rs.1000/- With the new offer, it will be uniform at Rs.1,000 for a home loan. However, the offer would end on 30th November, 2012.
At the same time, the banking behemoth is actively mulling reduction in conversion fee which is presently at 1%. For all banks, conversion fees are in the range of 0.50-2%. This move, if implemented, will help the existing (SBI) home loan customers, who are not entitled to get the benefit of reduced interest rates to avail of the lowered interest rates. Let’s assume the loan size is Rs.30 lakhs and a customer has already repaid Rs.10 lakhs. Therefore, he has to pay Rs.20,000/-(i.e. 1% of 30-10 lakhs) one-time upfront for the conversion.
Earlier, SBI cut the interest rates on home and auto loans by over 50 basis points, effective from August 07. However, it did not change the base rate (remains at 10% p.a), the benchmark rate below which the Reserve Bank of India does not allow any bank to lend. Now, a home loan borrower can avail of a home loan with interest at 10.25% as against 10.75% prior to the rate cut, for a ticket size of Rs 30 lakhs. The interest rate will be 10.40% for loans above Rs. 30 lakhs. The EMI on Home Loan tenor of 30 years is Rs.897 per lakh which is the lowest in the market.
However, the new rates are available only to the new customers. So, a customer who had taken a loan at a higher floating rate viz. 11.25% will be keen to avail the benefit of the current lower rate. So, he can convert his loan to the new rate by paying the conversion fee. "Those proposed moves by RBI will certainly benefit customers, who should tap opportunities right in time. However, the bank cannot just keep on doing this beyond a point as it may hurt their margins," said Anil Rego, CEO and founder, Rights Horizons, a Bangalore based advisory firm.
With 26% market share, SBI continues to be the leader in home loan market followed by the privately held housing finance company- HDFC.  "We have got some surplus funds after RBI cut statutory liquidity ratio by 1% to 23%. We have decided to utilize it in expanding our retail business. The Bank is aiming at 20-25% growth in its home loan portfolio. As the country's largest bank, we have a vital role to play in supporting the economy", said the official.
As of July, SBI's home loan portfolio stood at around Rs 1.06 lakh plus crores. Total retail loans stood at Rs 1.86 lakh crores in the April-June quarter. To facilitate home loan borrowers, it is planning to upload the list of housing projects, approved by the bank shortly.  The bank has tied up with 1,046 such projects across India till July in 2012-13. In order to enlist its projects, a builder has to meet certain norms prescribed by SBI. For listed projects, the bank sanctions home loans in 4-5 days while it takes around 14 days to approve a home loan for other housing constructions. The lender offers a loan to value (LTV) of 90% for home loans upto Rs 20 lakhs and upto 80% for loans above Rs 20 lakhs.

Seek more time to repay corporate loans: SBI

Kolkata, August 29: “The other day, we received a (loan) proposal for setting up a hotel, with a repayment period of eight to nine years. I told my officers ask this gentleman to take the loan for 12-13 years...Our advice is in the future, whenever you are applying for a loan, try to negotiate for a longer repayment tenure,” said Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri.

Such advice is aimed at capping a further rise in the bank’s restructured loan portfolio. In 2011-12, SBI’s restructured loan portfolio nearly doubled to Rs 8,093 crore from Rs 4,979 crore a year earlier. In the quarter ended June, the bank restructured loans worth Rs 564 crore. At the end of June, SBI’s total restructured loan portfolio stood at Rs 36,904 crore. Of these, loans worth Rs 7,373 crore were classified as non-performing assets. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed tough norms for loan restructuring, and if the new rules are implemented, the provision burden on the bank would rise, eroding its profitability further.

Chaudhuri added SBI would not penalise its borrowers if they wanted to pre-pay loans ahead of the repayment schedule. “In the current scenario, with the rules RBI has proposed, it is difficult to increase the tenure after the loan is sanctioned. It would increase the burden on the bank. So, we are telling our customers to negotiate for more time. If one is able to repay ahead of the schedule, it is fine — there would be no penalty for pre-payment,” he said.

However, most banks were reluctant to agree. “The repayment period is based on the projected cash flow. The schedule is fixed after making a conservative assessment of the earnings, and taking into consideration the risk factor. We have no immediate plans to deviate from this practice,” said the chairman and managing director of a Mumbai-based public sector bank, requesting anonymity.

SBI officers protest against 7-day schedule

Lucknow, August 28: Officers of the State Bank of India held a demonstration in front of the bank's local head office on Tuesday to oppose the reported move of the bank's management for introducing seven-day banking in SBI.
Addressing the meeting, BK Awasthi, general secretary of State Bank of India Officers' Association said that in the present times when services of alternate channels like ATM, internet banking and mobile banking etc are available to customers, introduction of seven-day banking is not feasible. The move will not only adversely affect the staff of the bank but also drain out the valuable energy resource of the country.
He said that central government offices, secretariat and apex banks like RBI, Nabard etc are having 5-day week, where no difficulty is being experienced at their end. Besides employees' organisations in the banking industry are pleading for a 5-day week in the banking industry and the proposal is pending with the Indian Banks' Association, he added.

SBI Card launches online application service 'Click2Card'

New Delhi, August 28:  SBI Card today launched online application service and aims to acquire about 3,000 customers through this initiative in next four months.  "Click2Card is another innovative service offering and is in line with our digital roadmap. This new platform will offer significant customer benefits, the primary being convenience," SBI Cards & Payment Services CEO Kadambi Narahari said here.
The company, which is the country's second largest credit card issuer and promoted by State Bank of India and GE Capital, aims to acquire 3,000 customers via online mode by December this year. The company, which has issued about 23 lakh cards aim to open 25,000 accounts next year through online mode, he said.
Last year, the company opened 4 lakh accounts through all distribution channels, he said, adding, SBI Card intends to add 5.6 lakh card in the current fiscal. Targeted at the Internet-savvy customers across India, who are increasingly transacting on the Internet, Narahari said, Click2Card allows customers to enter their details on a specially designed secure web interface.
The customer's application for a credit card is approved, declined or referred on the basis of the credit history with the credit bureau and the SBI Card risk and policy norms, he said. The customer has a real-time experience, and is updated on the status of his or her request instantly, he said, adding that for all approved or referred applications, the system sends back a soft approval (approval in principle) and the assigned credit limit. Subsequently, the customer is contacted by SBI Cards representatives to complete the documentation requirement. The documents and the information provided on the online platform need to match with those provided to the representative.

Self-service banking gaining currency

Mumbai, August 26: Banks are increasingly launching self-service banking in the front lobby of their branches to increase customer convenience and reduce transaction time and costs.
Self-service banking in the front lobby of branches enables customers to use alternative banking channels — ATMs, phone banking, cheque deposit machine, and pass-book printer — without entering the branch, any time of the day, irrespective of whether the branch is open or closed.
The per transaction cost incurred on one customer in the physical branch is Rs 50 on an average, while e-banking costs about Rs 10 for a similar transaction.
Recently, ICICI Bank launched 25 electronic branches across 18 cities. The electronic branch, located within the brick and mortar branch, is a one-stop shop for all banking transactions. Among others, it has an interactive kiosk through which services can be accessed by swiping a debit card and provides video-conferencing with the bank’s customer care personnel.
One of the first banks to start the e-lobby facility is Mumbai-based Greater Bombay Cooperative Bank. It is offering all banking transactions to its customers through fully automated lobby banking.
Greater Bank has deployed a single machine called ‘MegaBanker’ in its lobby for 24x7 banking. Customers can use this machine, among others, to deposit cheque/cash (with real time credit to the account), withdraw cash, printing of savings and current account statements, and fake note detection. Currently, Greater Bank has lobby banking in 17 of its existing 21 branches.
Public sector lender Union Bank of India has launched ‘UnionXperience’ branches, where customers can use alternative banking channels any time of the day, irrespective of whether the branch is open or closed. It has implemented these services in 160 branches across 10 cities, with automation through self-service machines. “Today, more than 50 per cent of our transactions get done via e-banking. This saves time and costs for the bank,” said Lalit Sinha, General Manager, Alternate Delivery Channel, Union Bank of India.
A senior ICICI Bank official said the bank wants to expand its technology platform beyond ATMs and desktop devices to mobile and tablet devices.
Challenges
Replenishment of cash in the ATM machines and infrastructure are major problems, Sinha said. “Indians are more comfortable with human interface and hence the customer adaptation to alternate channels is slow,” said Narendra Behere, CEO, Greater Bank.

SBI management mulling working Sundays to improve efficiency

Mumbai: Country's largest lender State Bank of India may have its branches open on Sundays to help improve efficiency, a top bank official has said.
"Possibly we would like to see Sunday working which would increase the time available for doing banking and increase the business," bank chairman Pratip Chaudhuri told analysts on a conference call organised by the brokerage Edelweiss Securities.
The bank had last year taken everybody by surprise by opting to keep all its branches open on October 2 to compensate for a day's business loss due to a technical snag.
The bank management was happy with the foot falls and the staff turnout at the branches at that time in spite of it being a Sunday as well as a national holiday - Gandhi Jayanti.
Notably, many private banks, which control only a minority share in the banking operations, do keep their select branches open on Sundays for customer convenience, even though technologies like internet banking have reduced the need.
Being open on Sundays is said to help the branches attract the new-age working class customers where both the spouses in a household work and struggle to do banking transactions during the week.
SBI, which has almost 14,000 branches across the country, counts on its large chunk of savings account deposits (at over 38 percent) for higher margins.
However, if such a move were to be made, it would be interesting how the bank unions, which had crippled banking operations across country last week protesting reform measures, take to such a proposal.
SBI had carried out widely appreciated 'Parivartan' programme in early part of this decade, which helped it stay relevant in changing times and maintaining lead in the market.
During the call, Chaudhuri said the costs incurred on developing physical infrastructure and network does not hit the bank as much as staff costs.
In order to improve efficiency, it will therefore try to delegate routine responsibilities currently done by officers to the low cost junior employees, he said.

ICICI Bank launches 25 e-branches

Mumbai, August 23: Private sector lender ICICI Bank announced the launch of 25 electronic branches and other technology-based banking solutions here on Thursday. The 24x7 electronic branching facilities will offer cash and cheque deposit machines with instant credit, interactive kiosks with phone and internet banking services and video conferencing among others. The investment and cost-benefit-accruals relating to the initiative were not disclosed.
Other initiatives include ‘tab banking’ that allows opening an account on a tablet without visiting the bank branch and e-locker facility that helps customers to electronically save scanned copies of their important documents and other value-added services at the ATMs. Charges on the e-locker services will be decided on the basis of the usage of the customers.
At present, the 25 branches have been rolled out across 18 locations including metros and Tier II cities. “About a third of our customers are using Internet banking services....These services will be complimentary to our physical branches,” said MD and CEO, Chanda Kochhar, ICICI Bank. “Today, handheld devices like mobile phones and tablet segment is growing at over 100 per cent every year as compared to the 20 per cent growth in desktops. We want to expand our technology beyond ATMs and desktop devices,” Kochhar said.

Soon, a bank-wide portal that will allow you to shop for best service

Customer is king Online travel portals seed the idea of a similar portal for banks Customers could compare interest rates on deposits/loans across banks at one go Figuring out which bank offers the best deal could become easy Will empower customer
Mumbai, August 20: How convenient it would be to compare at one place interest rates on deposits offered by various banks, their retail loan rates, margin amounts they require, the processing fees they charge, the add-on facilities they offer on deposits, and so on.
Extremely. The Finance Ministry also thinks so, and wants public sector banks, a la travel portals such as cleartrip, makemytrip, yatra and expedia, to explore the feasibility of setting up a bank-wide portal. These online travel portals allow travellers the convenience of comparing the fares quoted by various airlines so that they can buy the cheapest ticket plus the various add-ons such as hotel rooms and airport pick-up.
Wide choice: As things stand now, customers seeking a higher return on their investible surplus, or the cheapest home, car or personal loan, have to either go to the branches of various banks or surf their individual Web sites. No mean task as there are 26 public sector banks, including the five associate banks of State Bank of India. A more discerning customer may widen his search to the 23 private sector banks too.
Time-Saver: But with a bank-wide portal, customers can avoid the tedium of visiting the branches of various banks or surfing their Web sites, saving much time and energy. At the click of a mouse, one can compare interest rates on deposits and loans across banks, said a senior public sector bank official. “The portal could usher in transparency in banks’ dealings with customers,” he explained.
Banks will have to update their details on the portal regularly to reflect the latest position on interest rates, and any change in product features. The portal could also incorporate a feature whereby, if a customer zeroes in on a particular bank to place a deposit with or take a loan from, all he needs to do is share his contact details, so that officers from the nearest branch can contact him to complete the transaction.
Advertising: A banker said that private sector and foreign banks too may join the portal at a later stage, if it attracts enough eyeballs. The project to design, build, own and operate the portal is likely to be given to an information technology company. The company can recover the costs from advertisements placed by banks, insurance companies, mutual funds and broking firms.

Banks offer festive bonanza to customers

Mumbai, August 18: With an eye on getting business in the festive season, banks have started offering discounts on interest rates and waiving processing fees to attract retail customers. Mumbai-based Union Bank of India on Saturday announced it has waived processing fees on home and auto loans from August 15 to January 26.

State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, an associate of the State Bank of India, has found an innovative way to attract customers. While the bank is giving a discount of 25 basis points on retail loans across the board, customers who are applying for a car loan above Rs 10 lakh on line will get an additional rebate of 25 basis points, thus making the effective interest rate at 10.5 per cent which is the base rate of the bank, said Shiva Kumar, managing director, SBBJ. He added, the bank was offering 10.75 per cent for home loan customers, and those who apply on line will get a rebate of 10 basis points.

With credit growth slowing down in the current financial year amid high interest rate, banks are seeing the festive season as an opportunity to boost their credit portfolio. State Bank of India, for example, had said that it expected growth in retail credit to offset the impact of slowdown in corporate credit. The country's largest lender had earlier announced the cut in the interest rates for home and auto loans, immediately after Reserve Bank of India announced a one per cent SLR cut in July. SBI's home loan rates stand at 10.25 per cent for home loans up to Rs 30 lakh and 10.4 per cent for the loans above Rs 30 lakh. It also slashed its interest rate on car loans by 50 basis points to 10.75 per cent across the tenors.

Another public sector lender Andhra Bank is expected to take the decision about cutting interest rates on retail products. “We will be taking a decision soon” said, K K Misra, executive director of Andhra Bank.

Central Bank of India has already launched some products and is in the process of launching few more schemes both on asset and liability side. It has launched a special 555 days fixed deposit product in which the interest rate is higher by 50 basis points that the normal deposits of that tenor. It has also launched a recurring deposit account where the customer has the flexibility of putting the money according to his/her adjustment. Normally in the recurring accounts one has to put a fixed sum every month. “We will be waiving the processing fees on the retail loans, and where there is scope of reduction of interest rates we will cut the rates” said Ram Sangapure, general manager (retail), Central Bank of India.

SBI Cards targets 1 million new customers by 2014-15

SBI Cards, the second largest credit card solutions provider in India after HDFC Bank, is targeting to add one million new
customers by 2014-15, Mr Kadambi Narahari, CEO, said on Thursday.
Between 2007 and 2010, the number of credit card holders in India fell from 27 million to 17 million. Even after this consolidation in the wake of global slowdown, when many credit card companies went out of business, penetration of credit cards in India is still low — as against China and Brazil accounting for 200 million cards each, India accounts for only 18.4 million credit card holders, he told presspersons here.
SBI Cards have a customer base of 2.3 million. HDFC currently issues about 80,000 credit cards per month while SBI Cards issues about 50,000.
On an average, an Indian credit card holder spends only $755 (Rs 40,000) annually, as against the Australians ($3,352), and even the Thais ($2,084).
With its expansion in Tier II and III towns and cities becoming profitable with 12 per cent of cards reaching there, SBI Cards is now banking on the spread of the Internet to 121 million customers and grow its business by three to four times by 2014-15. India currently has 80 million banked households, he said.
Ticket booking and similar instant payment facilities have boosted the business of SBI Card, particularly after its tie up with the Indian Railways and other agencies and co-branding cards with the Oriental Bank of Commerce, Bank of Maharashtra and the Karur Vysya Bank.
Credit card spend in India is expected to increase from Rs 96,000 crore in 2011 to Rs 120 crore this year. SBI Cards and Payment Services Pvt Ltd, a joint venture with GE Capital, is the only standalone credit card providing company in India. It offers 14 different modes of payment options to customers.

Banks should compensate customers for local cheque clearance delay: RBI

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India, or RBI, has directed banks to compensate customers for any delay in clearing local cheques. This would mean that banks will have to compensate customers monetarily if a cheque to be credited in an account on Monday, for instance, gets delayed till Wednesday.
In a note to the chiefs of all banks - both commercial and co-operative - the RBI said they should have a cheque collection policy containing details of the amount they would pay customers for any delay in collection and clearance of cheques. If this policy does not include the amount payable for delays, the bank will have to pay the savings account rate to customers as compensation, the central bank said.
"Banks are advised to reframe their cheque collection policies (CCPs) to include compensation payable for the delayed period in the case of collection of local cheques as well. In case, no rate is specified in the CCP for delay in realisation of local cheques, compensation at savings bank interest rate shall be paid for the corresponding period of delay," a statement issued by the RBI on Monday said.
Private banks such as Yes Bank, IndudsInd Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank offer savings rate in the range of 5.5% to 7%, while state-run banks and some private banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, pay 4% on similar accounts. The RBI had, in May last year, raised the savings rate from 3.5% to 4%. Many banks started offering higher rates after the central bank deregulated savings rate last October.
The RBI's decision to link compensation to savings bank account rates comes after it received several complaints from customers about delays in cheque clearance. "Instances of delayed credit to customers' accounts without any compensation for the delayed period beyond the timeline indicated in the CCPs, in respect of local cheques, have been brought to our notice," the RBI release said.

More SBI branches in Hyderabad

State Bank of India has launched two new branches in the city. The Chief General Manager of the Hyderabad Circe Rakesh Sharma inaugurated the branches. The branches are located at Liberty centre in Himayathnagar and D.D. Colony at Amberpet.  Speaking at the launch events, Rakesh Sharma said the two branches were equipped to cater to the personal banking and needs of NRI customers. They will have ATM, Internet and mobile banking services to suit individual customers. The branches will provide full-fledged services, including locker facility.

More SBI branches in Hyderabad

RBI wants banks to cut base rates, not select lending rates

Mumbai, August 6: With banks led by the country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) choosing to cut spreads on certain categories of loans instead of the base rate, deputy governor Anand Sinha today said the Reserve Bank would like the banks to cut the minimum lending rate to better carry forward its monetary policy measures.

“The base rate is supposed to be responsive to the changes in monetary conditions Reserve Bank would definitely want the responses to be through the base rate,” Sinha said at an IDBI Bank event here. Sinha further said an RBI committee on interest rates, headed by him, is looking into these aspects.

The committee, supposed to come out with report last month, has made progress and will be submitting it soon. Replying to a question, Sinha said banks are unable to cut their base rates as per the monetary policy changes, because they carry the burden of fixed rate deposits and fixed costs to service that over a longer-time.

“Banks are not able to respond quickly to the changes in monetary conditions or monetary policy signals because they carry a fixed cost over an extended period of time,” he said, flagging this as a subject of discussion with bankers during deliberations on floating deposit rates.

On asked if the RBI which has been discussing floating rate deposits but also stressing fixed rate loans is concerned over potential asset liability mismatches, Sinha replied in the affirmative. “Asset liability concern, in the long-term, yes,” he said, adding that so far banks have been successful in managing the longer gestation infrastructure projects.

Though, since January, the RBI has cut repo rate by 50 bps and CRR by 125 bps, and a 100 bps SLR cut last week, the effect of the same has not been passed on to the customers by banks by lowering interest rates as a whole. Instead, banks have been cherry-picking interest rates reduction, and have not lowered their base rates, which would automatically lead to a similar reduction in interest rates for both existing as well as the new customers.

Some banks like State Bank and Union Bank of India, among others, have slashed interest rate on certain loan products like home loans and lending to SMEs, but have not cut the base rate, or the minimum rate of lending.

Bizarre banking system leaves customers stumped

Patna, August 5: Bank allots customer’s locker to another person without notice. Bizarre banking system has come to the fore in two diametrically opposite cases in Bihar. In the first instance, a woman customer was left high and dry when her valuables went kaput after the locker she was operating in Allahabad Bank was allotted to someone else without intimating her. While in another case, three customers on a single day received more than the amount they had asked for, during withdrawal from the ATM of State Bank of India.

 

The first incident took place in the state capital when Rani Meena Kumari of Shastri Nagar went to operate her locker in Allahabad Bank which she had opened it in 2008. Much to her dismay, Meena found that not only her locker was allotted to a different customer, but her valuables worth Rs 4 lakh were also missing. On query, she was told that since the locker was not operated for the last two years, it was allotted to some one else. A furious Meena lodged an FIR against the bank officials at Shastri Nagar police station and wondered how this kind of faux pas could happen in a government-controlled bank. “We have received a written complaint from Meena Kumari. The regional office of the bank is looking into the case. If required, we too will begin investigation in right earnest,” said SHO of the police station, IC Vidyasagar.

 

In another instance, a customer of SBI went to an ATM at Pali market in Darbhanga and opted to withdraw Rs 3,000. But lo and behold, the machine handed him Rs 7,000, although the statement slip showed withdrawal of Rs 3,000 only. With Rs 4,000 more in his kitty, the customer laughed all his way to home. The other customer, who followed him in the queue, met a similar fate when he received Rs 5,000 from the ATM although he had asked for Rs 4,200.

 

The guard, who operated generator there, smelt a rat when he found the customer smiling sheepishly. On query, he was told about the ATM machine doling out excess amount, even though the statement mentioned only the withdrawal of money which was originally asked for. The guard then asked the customer to return the excess amount, and eventually informed the bank’s branch manager. When the officials reached the venue, they found the ATM working in a weird manner. The ATM was sealed and headquarters office informed about the snag. “Three instances of excess withdrawal have been detected. Out of which one customer has refunded the excess amount. The exact detail of net loss is being ascertained,” said a senior SBI official on the condition of anonymity.

Rate cut could be good news this festive season

New Delhi, August 6: RBI's decision to slash the SLR rate by 100 basis points has pleasantly surprised many. Banks had witnessed tight liquidity position in last few months, but the current move by RBI would ease the pressure, to some extent. The effect of RBI's step has been taken immediately by the State Bank of India (SBI) on a positive note as it has announced a cut in the home loan and car loan interest rates with effect from August 7, 2012. Home loan interest has been cut to 10.25 per cent from existing 10.5 per cent for the loan amounts below R 30 lakh, whereas the loan amount between R 30 lakh to R 75 lakh will now attract an interest rate at the rate of 10.4 per cent.

 

The maximum cut of 85 basis points has been announced on the loan amount above R 75 lakh. Auto loan interest rate has been reduced to 10.75 per cent from the previous rate of 11.25 per cent. The banking sector is expected to follow the trend with increased liquidity in the days to come. The base rate is standing unchanged at 10 percent at the moment, so existing bank borrowers would not get the benefit of any rate reduction.

 

In the term-deposit front, SBI has announced a cut in the term deposit rate for five years (up to ten years) by 25 basis points to 8.5 per cent with effect from August 7, 2012. Contrary to the move of the largest bank, the second-largest bank of India i.e. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has announced an increase in term deposit rate from 8.75 percent to 9 percent for a one-year tenure single deposit of Rs one crore or fewer amounts. It has also increased the NRE deposit rate to 9 percent. The PNB's change would be effective from August 2.

 

Good news this festive season

 

The current reduction in the loan rates is expected to change the momentum of loan trends in the banking sector. With the reduction in housing loan interest rates, banks that reduce the interest rate in current market would position itself as an affordable loan provider amongst other banks.

 

Similarly, in the car loan segment, banks would compete to attract customers with offers and discounts in interest rates.

 

With the festive season round the corner, most banks are likely to slash interest rates. Also there is bound to be increased consumer interest in the purchase of home, cars and consumer durables during the festive season, increasing the probability of a downward loan trend. Expenditure tends to rise this season and banks would ideally like to be in a position to offer the interested borrower the best deal. From the point of view of customers, any further rate cut by banks would be a welcome move, and they will find the prospect of a lowered interest rate burden on car and housing loan very attractive now.

 

The rate cut could well be one of the strategies for banks to take up market share in the retail loan segment. Since RBI has restricted banks from charging penalty on prepayment of loans or levying foreclosure charges on floating-rate home loans, banks that slash the rate would benefit in context of clients shifting from other banks, which are still waiting to reduce the rate. If other banks don't follow the trend by cutting the rate, then they are likely to lose a few customers in the days to come.

 

Being the festive season, the banks are not only expected to cut the interest rates but also offer discounts in other charges to attract the customer and find a space between car and home buyers. It looks like SBI has just pushed the alarm button for other banks to wake up to a changing trend. So the current scenario looks all set for more smiles on the faces of customers in the days to come.

SBI plans focused services for Mid-Corporates

Hyderabad, August 3: State Bank of India is planning to provide more focused services for the mid-corporate group. It will be using its asset management team to provide these services, the bank’s Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri said.

Under the revised arrangement, the bank’s relationship manager would be part of the appraisal and assessment process, which is expected to shorten the time taken for loan approvals.

The proposals will then be examined by an independent committee from the risk-mitigation angle and be awarded an internal rating. These will then be submitted to the credit committee for sanction. The SBI Chairman met a cross-section of its customers here on Friday, explaining the bank’s services to the corporate and retail sectors.

SBI plans focused services for Mid-Corporates

Now buy online rail tickets without cards or net banking

Mumbai, August 3: State Bank of India customers will be able to pay for online train bookings through mobile banking using the Interbank Mobile Payment System that is available to all depositors. After selecting their tickets on the IRCTC website, customers will be given an option to pay through mobile banking in addition to internet banking and through card. SBI customers can then enter their mobile number, the mobile money ID and one time password which can be generated through their mobile phone.

 

Until now customers could pay for online booking only if they had internet banking or if they possessed a payment card. An SBI official said that the bank expects the Interbank Mobile Payment System gain in popularity as a payment mechanism and expects the volume of transactions to growth because of the convenience and security it offers.

 

IMPS is a remittance facility that was launched by National Payments Corporation of India in 2010. This service offers round-the-clock interbank electronic fund transfer through mobile, internet or ATM. The facility is provided by NPCI through its existing switch which is currently handling more than 7 - 8 million ATM transactions on a daily basis.

 

Today, there are 50 banks integrated to this service and with RBI permitting Co-operatives and RRB's to join this platform, many more are expected to join in coming months. Although banks have been registering a large number of their customers for mobile banking awareness of this facility is still low and transactions are yet to pick up. According to data released by NPCI the month of June saw 34.37 lakh mobile banking transactions involving a value of Rs 306 crore.

Should you switch your home loan to SBI?

Though State Bank of India (SBI) has cut rates on home loans by 25 to 85 basis points (bps) across tenures (bank’s present discount to its card rates is about 25 bps), it’s a bit early for home loan borrowers to switch their lender. Wait for 10-15 days, as other lenders are likely to follow suit. Borrowers can also use SBI’s example to bargain with their respective lender for better rates. It is most likely that their lenders would agree, as it is in their interest to retain a borrower with a good repaying record, say experts.

For home loans up to Rs 30 lakh, SBI has reduced the interest rate from 10.75 per cent to 10.25 per cent and to 10.4 per cent for loans above Rs 30 lakh. Earlier, for loans between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 75 lakh the interest rate was 11 per cent and for loans above Rs 75 lakh, it was 11.25 per cent. The revised equated monthly instalment (EMI) per Rs 100,000 at the rate of 10.25 per cent for a loan tenure of 30 years would be Rs 897, against the prevailing EMI of Rs 934, said an SBI statement. The waiver of the prepayment penalty for floating rate home loans has made switching lenders to take advantage of lower rates an attractive proposition for borrowers. But that should not be the only criteria for switching your lender. The difference between old and new rates should be at least 75-100 bps for the switch to make commercial sense, as the procedure is cumbersome.

Harsh Roongta, CEO, Apnapaisa.com, says other lenders might also cut rates and it is best to wait for 10-15 days. The biggest advantage is that there is no prepayment penalty on floating rate loans. However, there will be a nominal processing fee and a small fee on creation of security. Home Loan Rates

 SBI #  10.25
Other Bank # Minimum 10.5% floating

* ICICI Bank and HDFC Ltd also have floating interest rate scheme where the interest rates are fixed for the initial few years and thereafter the then prevailing floating rates are applicable.

# SBI rates are effective from August 7, 2012.
 The home loan rates are indicative rates, which may change according to the credit profile of the customer. Source: Apnapaisa Research Bureau

Even if borrowers are getting the new loan at 50 bps less and if only two years are left for repayment, switching to a new lender will help, as the rates offered by SBI are very competitive, Roongta says.

Assume, for instance, a borrower took a floating rate loan of Rs 80 lakh, at an interest rate of 12 per cent and tenure of 30 years. The loan has been repaid for five years. The old EMI is Rs 82,289 and the amount due is Rs 78,13,057. If the loan is reset at 10.5 per cent, the new EMI is Rs 76,000. The difference works out to Rs 6,000. Car Loan Rates

State Bank of India # 10.75
Other Bank # 11.25

Car Loan – Interest rates as on August 02, 2012
* SBI rates effective from August 07, 2012 Source: Apnapaisa Research Bureau

Vipul Patel of Home Loan Advisors, an independent mortgage advisory firm, is advising his customers to use SBI’s rates to bargain for a better deal with their respective lender. If the lender does not agree to lower the rates, then the borrower must switch to a new one. “Even if your bank does not bring down rates to 10.25 (SBI’s charge), they might at least reduce it to 10.5 or 10.75 per cent. If your current rates are 11 per cent or above, even this much of a reduction will help,” he says.

While switching the loan, borrowers should try to keep the monthly repayment constant or increase it, so that the period of the loan does not increase. However, unlike home loans, it does not make sense to switch your car loan. The prepayment charges are huge and the loan tenure is short in most cases (three to seven years).