Raghavendra Kamath &Amp; Abhijit Lele

Stories by Raghavendra Kamath &Amp; Abhijit Lele

Education loans: Good marks, no security

Education loans: Good marks, no security

Rediff.com   13 May 2011

Bankers' committee suggests banks lend to meritorious students without collateral.

SBI's rate increase signals shift in strategy

SBI's rate increase signals shift in strategy

Rediff.com   13 May 2011

Sharp increase is a major departure from those during former chairman O P Bhatt's regime.

Essar's realty arm to invest Rs 4,000 crore

Essar's realty arm to invest Rs 4,000 crore

Rediff.com   12 May 2011

Equinox plans to launch 1.4 million sq ft residential project in Bengaluru in the last quarter of calender year 2011 and a one-million housing project in Thane near Mumbai in the next one year.

Piramal shelves plans to sell Indiareit

Piramal shelves plans to sell Indiareit

Rediff.com   29 Apr 2011

Religare, promoted by billionaire brothers Malvinder and Shivinder Mohan Singh, was in talks with Piramal for six to eight months to buy nearly 80 per cent in Indiareit for around Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion).

Rising input costs keep realty prices up

Rising input costs keep realty prices up

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2011

Cement and steel prices have shot up sharply in the past four months, with steel prices rising 10 per cent and cement increasing 34 per cent since January.

Third of banks' MFI loans go into restructuring

Third of banks' MFI loans go into restructuring

Rediff.com   15 Apr 2011

Microfinance companies have been facing a crisis after a crackdown by the Andhra Pradesh government last year in response to allegations they were charging high rates and using coercive recovery practices.

Bahrain unrest gets to Indian banks

Bahrain unrest gets to Indian banks

Rediff.com   8 Apr 2011

Bahrain has of late emerged as a regional hub for banking because of low tax rates and easy regulations. At present, 409 banks and financial institutions have operations there.

Developers offer freebies but buyers not tempted

Developers offer freebies but buyers not tempted

Rediff.com   7 Apr 2011

Freebies do not seem to have attracted many buyers, as both property prices and lending rates continue to remain high.

Future Group in talks to sell cars

Future Group in talks to sell cars

Rediff.com   7 Apr 2011

Big Bazaar stores have sold 900 Nano cars since February, when Tata Motors made the arrangement.

Union Bank to outsource work for 1,000 ATMs

Union Bank to outsource work for 1,000 ATMs

Rediff.com   15 Mar 2011

As of December 2010, the bank's total outlets, including branches, stood at 5,017. Its ATM network stood at 2,516 units.

Apparel to cost more at Pantaloon Retail

Apparel to cost more at Pantaloon Retail

Rediff.com   17 Feb 2011

Pantaloon Retail, the country's largest retailer, is looking at increasing the prices of its apparel products up to 18 per cent, to improve margins in the coming quarters, said a top group executive.

Future Group to float Ezone as a separate firm

Future Group to float Ezone as a separate firm

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2011

Kishore Biyani's Future Group will hive off its electronics business into a separate company, as continued promotions and increased competition are taking a toll on its margins.

MFIs need social MF

MFIs need social MF

Rediff.com   11 Feb 2011

You can't ask a current borrower to finance your growth, says RBI memeber Yezdi H Malegam.

How Hypercity plans to attract more customers

How Hypercity plans to attract more customers

Rediff.com   1 Feb 2011

Raheja-owned Hypercity plans its growth on the back of quality merchandise rather than cheaper price points.

SBI sets up call centres for NPA recovery

SBI sets up call centres for NPA recovery

Rediff.com   31 Jan 2011

With mounting pressure to set aside substantial amounts each quarter to improve provision cover for bad loans, State Bank of India is using every possible way to step up recoveries from non-performing assets.

Banks prefer 1-year CD to contain volatility

Banks prefer 1-year CD to contain volatility

Rediff.com   17 Jan 2011

Commercial banks now prefer one-year certificate of deposit (CDs) to short-term paper (of three- to six-month duration) to raise money, as volatility in the money market in the three months through December has made them focus on stability and improving their balance sheet.

Govt banks tread with caution after Citi scam

Govt banks tread with caution after Citi scam

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2011

Those with plans to enter the wealth management business want to first put in place robust processes.

Home loan: SBI to seek lower provisioning

Home loan: SBI to seek lower provisioning

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2011

Bank to argue with the Reserve Bank that new norms don't apply to floating rate schemes.

Mumbai moves up in realty investors' pecking order

Mumbai moves up in realty investors' pecking order

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2010

Mumbai has jumped five positions to become the third-most preferred property investment market in Asia Pacific in 2011, according to new survey.

Bengaluru closes in on Shanghai in office space

Bengaluru closes in on Shanghai in office space

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2010

Latest CBRE data show Mumbai and the National Capital Region together have just 13 per cent more office space than Bengaluru.