With the restructuring process in full swing, public sector banks have stepped-up monitoring to keep non-performing assets (NPAs) at desired levels.
Banks are willing to help cardholders to settle dues.
Weighed down by mounting outstandings and non-performing assets (NPAs), credit card companies are taking strong measures that include slashing new card issuances and credit limits for existing customers.
The government was keen that HFCs did not use the special window at a low rate and offered loans at very high rates. On 5 December, the Reserve Bank of India announced a refinance window for the HFCs, under which Rs 4,000 crore was made available to them from NHB at a concessional rate of 8 per cent.
Investors globally have found solace in gold in the last one year when major world economies slipped into recession. Sample this: According to World Gold Council data, investment by exchange traded funds in gold was 150 tonnes in the third quarter
Both property prices and interest rates have fallen sharply.
Public sector banks are increasingly looking at promoter funding as a business opportunity when others are shying away from it.
A market-savvy investor can also use this opportunity to make a quick buck. That is, purchase the share at a lower price from the market and sell it back to the company at a higher price.
Ahead of acting finance minister Pranab Mukherjee's meeting with public sector bank chiefs on Monday, the government has asked state-owned lenders to submit data on home loans sanctioned by them since December 15.
With the rising cost of health cover, insurance companies are looking at innovative products to attract customers. The latest offering is top-up insurance that comes at almost half the premium.
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.
The government has extended the repayment date six months under the farm loan waiver scheme, a move that is expected to help banks set aside less money for non-performing loans, but has raised expectations of another loan waiver ahead of general elections.
The move is aimed at helping them reduce the interest rate on loans for purchase of commercial vehicles and free up additional capital to meet the higher capital adequacy ratio requirement. Non-banking finance companies have to maintain a capital adequacy ratio of 12 per cent, which is to go up to 15 per cent from April, 2010.
For instance, in early December, SBI was offering 10.5 per cent on a 1,000-day FD. This was lowered to 10 per cent in mid-December. A fortnight later, in January, the bank is offering only 9 per cent for the same tenure. For investors, who missed the bus in October and November, this is certainly bad news. However, all isn't lost. There are some segments still where the rates on offer still look interesting.
According to sources, the family has pledged majority of its shareholding and real estate assets to various institutions. Two institutions, Maharashtra government's financial arm, Sicom, and IFCI, confirmed that Maytas promoters had pledged shares around a year ago to raise resources. IL&FS too has similar exposure to Maytas, said sources. However, this could not be confirmed.
In the last six months, things have changed for the better for the home buyer. Most of the cities are witnessing a sharp drop in prices, almost back to where they stood in December 2006. While most developers and brokers are unwilling to admit this, sit across the table to negotiate and you just might be surprised.
If you are sitting on idle cash, it's better to invest the same in income funds and earn over 10 per cent returns, say investment advisers. They believe that falling interest rates will jack up returns from bonds and investors can earn high returns if they deploy the money with a horizon of six months to a year.
With public sector banks reducing interest rates on home loans up to Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million), housing finance companies (HFCs) might be under pressure to follow suit in order to stay competitive.
An official of one of the biggest travel agencies in the country said that internationally, exchanging currency at the airport is most expensive as they charge higher rates. This is because travel agencies have to pay higher lease rentals at the airport. Also, the authorities share revenues.
Experts explained that normally, the IT department sends notices to only those people whose yearly credit card transactions cross Rs 200,000.
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