Public sector banks could see higher pressure on their net interest margins in the coming months as they have mopped up large amounts of deposits at higher rates and have also effected steep cuts in lending rates between November 2008 and January 2009.
Less than half-a-dozen people have evinced interest in buying the eight apartments owned by the late Harshad Mehta and his family, partly due to a last-minute case filed by the stockbroker's mother, Rasila S Mehta.
In a possible precursor to further rate cuts, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's meeting with public sector bank chiefs on Monday will review their benchmark prime lending rates and interest rates on loans for automobiles, homes, small and medium enterprises and non-banking finance companies.
With real estate prices moving southwards, several banks and financial institutions are buying their own properties and shifting from rented and leased premises.
The country's largest life insurer has been inundated with applications from companies, including heavyweights such as Reliance, as the deepening credit crisis forces India Inc to look for new sources of funds. Many companies are issuing NCDs largely to meet their working capital requirements as well as long-term capital expenditure plans.
Standard Chartered CEO-Asia Jaspal Bindra spoke to Anirudh Laskar and Sidhartha about the bank's plans and his assessment of the situation.
Making cash payments at bank counters to settle your credit card dues is getting expensive. Credit card issuers led by ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank have started levying a fee on such payments.
Sixteen years after the stock market scam orchestrated by Harshad S Mehta, the custodian has put up eight apartments in a complex called Madhuli, which is occupied by his family in upscale Worli, for sale.
But their plea for fresh measures to boost their liquidity has not found favour with the National Housing Bank, which assessed their fund requirement in the last week of December. Sources at NHB said the measures initiated by the Reserve Bank of India appeared sufficient for the requirements.
Banks led by State Bank of India are set to lower deposit rates by over 50 basis points by the middle of the month, followed by a reduction in lending rates.
The move comes a month after three-day terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26 left at least 183 people dead and thousands wounded. A source close to the development told Business Standard that following 26/11, as the terror attacks came to be called, reinsurance rates have hardened in the global markets.
While Barclaycard, the card arm of the Barclays group, has informed some of the credit card holders that the cash limit has been reduced to zero 'to help manage the credit situation'. The new entrant to the cards business in India has sent text messages to card holders informing them about the change. A customer care executive said that the limit has been lowered for all card holders.
At the start of 2008, Manoj Singh headed Tranzact Consolidated India, among the largest direct sales agents in Mumbai with about 200 employees.
Sending money overseas instantly could soon become a reality with the Reserve Bank of India considering proposals to allow non-banking entities like online money transfer portals to undertake wire transfers for outward remittances from India.At the moment the facility is limited to inward remittances, while only banks are permitted to carry out outward remittance orders.
Gone are the days when banks would treat payment delays as part of life. Instead, they are taking measures to minimise chances of any kind of payment default by doing rigorous background checks.
The MD and CEO of ICICI speaks on how life will change and the bank's strategy going forward.
HDFC, the country's largest housing finance company, is planning to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) through non-convertible debentures with a green-shoe option next week. Sources close to the development said the company would issue NCDs worth Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion), while keeping an option to raise another Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) through the green-shoe option.
Paresh Parasnis, HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company's principal officer and executive director spoke to Shilpy Sinha & Sidhartha about the company's strategy.
With the Rs 7,000-crore (Rs 70 billion) refinance window, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will not face any fund crunch, says Sidbi Chairman and Manging Director R M Malla.
At a time when financial institutions are in the process of cutting costs through retrenchment, the country's largest insurer, Life Insurance Corporation of India, has drawn up plans to hire over 10,000 employees and around 250,000 insurance agents across the country.
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