Nikhat Hetavkar And Namrata Acharya

Stories by Nikhat Hetavkar And Namrata Acharya

Naxal effect: Insuring police to cost more

Naxal effect: Insuring police to cost more

Rediff.com   9 Apr 2010

After Tuesday's Naxal attack on the Central Reserve Police Forces, police forces across the country are likely to see a sharp jump in their insurance premia when their group personal accident policies are renewed. The hike could be in the region of 200-300 per cent, according to insurance firms.

Auto loan: Private lenders step on the gas

Auto loan: Private lenders step on the gas

Rediff.com   8 Dec 2009

In the past one year, the share of state-run banks in auto finance has increased significantly, and in some cases nearly doubled, on the back of competitive rates offered by banks such as State Bank of India.

Nano: Long wait leads to cancellations

Nano: Long wait leads to cancellations

Rediff.com   3 Dec 2009

Small price difference with Maruti causes customer attrition and back-outs.

Indian banks hit the rule wall in Singapore, HK

Indian banks hit the rule wall in Singapore, HK

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2009

Put plans on hold after HK caps expansion, Singapore orders stricter asset norms.

A year on, Singur picks up the pieces

A year on, Singur picks up the pieces

Rediff.com   5 Oct 2009

A year later, land prices are less than half the peak levels of Rs 20 lakh an acre.

Cash discount catches fancy of home buyers

Cash discount catches fancy of home buyers

Rediff.com   4 Sep 2009

Since September-October last year, when the real estate market was in deep recession, several developers had started offering gifts like a car or a parking space with flats. For example, Kolkata-based real estate developer RDB Group had decided to give a Nano car with flats at its residential project in Sonarpur, South 24-Parganas.

It's raining PSU funds

It's raining PSU funds

Rediff.com   5 Aug 2009

Govt's divestment plans encourage funds to bet big on state-owned firms.

Pranab rules out divestment in govt banks

Pranab rules out divestment in govt banks

Rediff.com   20 Jul 2009

The minister said at a time when banks in the US and Europe needed government support for survival, banks in India were strong enough to sustain on their own.

Govt borrowings won't affect interest rates: FM

Govt borrowings won't affect interest rates: FM

Rediff.com   13 Jul 2009

Pranab Mukherjee has projected government borrowings of Rs 4.51 lakh crore for the current fiscal.

Banks prefer to sell NPAs for cash

Banks prefer to sell NPAs for cash

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2009

The long wait for realisation makes lenders averse to security receipt transactions. Instead, they have been insisting more on cash, even though valuations of bad assets are generally lower in case of cash deals than those involving SRs. While in deals involving SRs stressed assets are valued at 30 per cent on an average, in cash deals they are valued at 20 per cent, depending on the quality of the assets.

Gold ETFs: Investors look away

Gold ETFs: Investors look away

Rediff.com   5 May 2009

"We are now looking at a new fund under the gold category, which will enable small investors to subscribe to the units from the offices of UTI, without even having a demat account," said sources at UTI Mutual Fund. "With the equity markets rising by almost 30 per cent between mid-March and April, investors are no longer interested in gold ETFs. Also most Indians prefer holding physical gold, rather than gold ETFs," said a broker.

SBI chairman hints at rate cut

SBI chairman hints at rate cut

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2009

State Bank of India, India's largest lender, may cut interest rates in the new financial year on the back of a lower-than-expected credit growth.

Share of govt banks in auto finance on the rise

Share of govt banks in auto finance on the rise

Rediff.com   18 Mar 2009

The share of government banks in auto finance has increased significantly in the last few months. In some cases, it has nearly doubled. The reason: these banks are offering cheaper loans than their private sector counterparts.

Banks seek 150% collateral against loans

Banks seek 150% collateral against loans

Rediff.com   23 Feb 2009

In spite of ample liquidity, banks are treading cautiously as far as lending to the real estate sector is concerned, and are seeking collateral as high as 150 per cent of the loan amount as security deposit from them.

Metro faces fresh retail trade charges

Metro faces fresh retail trade charges

Rediff.com   5 Feb 2009

The fresh allegations of carrying out retail trade have come from the Forward Bloc, a constituent of the Left Front government in Bengal, which had been opposing the entry of Metro on this ground. Forward Bloc-controlled APMC in the state has submitted a report stating the instances of violations of the terms of the Regulated Market Committee licence, said sources.

Reliance Money plans SME exchange

Reliance Money plans SME exchange

Rediff.com   2 Feb 2009

The company is also mulling to enter the currency futures space through the exchange. Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India had issued guidelines for SME exchange, and had set a minimum net worth criteria of Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) for entity willing to start it.

Unitech clears land hurdles in Bengal

Unitech clears land hurdles in Bengal

Rediff.com   13 Jan 2009

In spite of some initial hiccups due to problems in land acquisition, the real estate projects by Unitech in West Bengal were now on track. After facing delays due to problems in land acquisition, work at the proposed logistics hub on Kona Expressway had started.

Banks lap up debt-swap scheme

Banks lap up debt-swap scheme

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2009

The small loan size, strict vigil of bankers and the already high interest rates paid by the borrowers to moneylenders make the scheme attractive for banks. Banks are also devising new models for recovering such loans, mostly by deploying agents or vendors on a daily or weekly basis in rural areas.

Few takers for auto loans

Few takers for auto loans

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2008

Buyers prefer to wait on expectation of better bargains.

Demand slump hits realty prices

Demand slump hits realty prices

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2008

The market has seen 30 per cent fall in demand in the last two months. In tandem, property prices, especially the residential ones, have fallen by 15-20 per cent across the board in the last two months. Rentals for offices too have fallen, with companies averse to shift to new offices in a bid to check costs. In case of retail malls, ector experts said, all leasing activity had come to a standstill, with no retailer willing to open a shop.