SBI extends teaser rate for 3 months

The country’s largest lender State Bank of India on Wednesday extended its eight per cent concessional home loan scheme, which is 0.5 per cent higher than its minimum lending or base rate, for another three months till September 30.

SBI fixed its base rate — the minimum lending rate — at 7.5 per cent which would replace its benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR) from July 1. The bank has decided to extend its popular home loan and car loan schemes and leave their terms unchanged, following the transition to base rate system from July 1, SBI said in a statement.

The rates will be valid till September 30, unless the base rate is revised in the meantime, it said. The floating rate component henceforth will, however, be linked to base rate, it said.

The popular home loan and car loan schemes by SBI was due to expire on June 30. For the first year, home loan would carry eight per cent interest rate and for the second and third years it would attract nine per cent rate. From the fourth year onwards, home loans up to Rs 50 lakh will be charged 9.25 per cent interest rate while higher loans will carry 9.75 per cent interest rate.

At present, the scheme carries 10 per cent interest rate from the fourth year onwards.

The same rates apply for SBH, which is a part for the State Bank group.

Car loans are also available at 10 per cent concessional rate. The bank also clarified that the rate of interest on other home loans, car loans, educational loans and personal loan products will be linked to the base rate for all disbursements from July 1.

On teaser rate, the SBI chairman, Mr O.P. Bhatt, had said the bank’s special home-loan scheme, even if continued, does not violate the RBI norms on base rate but the bank is yet to take a call on whether to extend the scheme or not.

SBI had extended the special scheme till June 30 owing to huge demand from its customers. The scheme was originally supposed to end by April 30.

Other major housing loan lenders such as ICICI Bank and HDFC also had earlier come out with teaser rate schemes on home loans.

Learn with DC

QWhat are teaser rates?
They are special low rates offered by banks and housing loan companies for a limited period to borrowers. The interest rate is gradually increased to the market rate over a period of time. Major lenders such as SBI, ICICI and HDFC had earlier come out with teaser rate schemes on home loans.

Q Why is the RBI against teaser rates?
It feels that it will encourage people to take loans beyond their paying capacity as the interest rates are ramped up from the second year onwards. This could result in a pile of bad loans for banks.