All the banks linked the new retail floating rate loans to an external benchmark from October 1, 2019. In my opinion, that makes the comparison between various home loan products easier. Most of the banks have chosen Repo rate for the external benchmark for home loans. Earlier, benchmark MCLR (Marginal cost of funds-based lending rate)… Continue Reading
You must make a purchase or spend some money, but you don’t have the money. If we leave out informal options like hand loans from friends and family, you must fund the expense through credit. Let’s assume the amount is not big enough for you to go through the pain of applying for a secured… Continue Reading
If you are moving to one of the bigger cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru, finding a cheap accommodation is not easy. Rentals can be quite high too. However, as a tenant, paying high rent is not the only problem. You need to put up a big security deposit with the landlord/owner too. In Mumbai,… Continue Reading
The bank must link all new floating rate loans to retail customers loans from October 1, 2019 to an external benchmark. The Reserve Bank notified the change in its circular dated September 4, 2019. This means MCLR will soon be history, at least for retail borrowers. Starting October 1, no new floating rate loans will… Continue Reading
SBI had introduced home loans linked to RBI Repo rates as the benchmark in July 2019. This was before the RBI mandated all fresh floating rate loans to retail borrowers from October 1, 2019 to be linked to an external benchmark. SBI had used Repo rate linked lending rate (RLLR) as the benchmark. RLLR was… Continue Reading
When we are looking for home loans, we tend to go with the loan product that charges the lowest rate of interest. What if the bank were to charge you a negative interest rate? Essentially, the bank pays you to take a loan from them. Not possible? Well, a Danish Bank has just done that.… Continue Reading
The Reserve Bank of India has cut Repo rate by 110 basis points since the beginning of the year (2019). However, the banks have reduced their weighted average lending rates by 29 bps. If you have a floating rate home loan, then this news is not very comforting. This is a very common grievance for… Continue Reading
Union Budget 2019 announced an exclusive tax benefit of Rs 1.5 lacs for loans taken to purchase electric vehicles. Good news for those who plan to purchase electric bike or car in the next few years. The tax benefit is under Section 80EEB. I briefly touched upon the tax benefit in my post on Union… Continue Reading
You can get loans instantly these days. These instant personal loans are typically of small amounts and for shorter tenure. Every loan has an associated cost. For the long tenure loans, the interest rate is the primary determinant. You prefer to go with the lender that offers you the lowest interest rate. However, the same… Continue Reading
In July 2019, the National Housing Bank (NHB) directed the Housing Finance Companies to refrain from lending under Interest Subvention Schemes to developers. Under an interest subvention scheme (80:20 scheme or any other nomenclature), you pay 20% of the purchase value upfront and the bank disburses the remaining 80% cost to the builder upfront. The… Continue Reading