Cash withdrawal fee: 78 per cent disagree with banks' move Banks, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, from March 1 started imposing a minimum charge of Rs 150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month. The new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts. The bank would also cap the third party cash transactions at Rs 25,000 per day, while cash handling charges would be withdrawn. You can read about then details of this move here: Banks to levy Rs 150 after 4 cash transactions Business Standard did a quick poll on Twitter yesterday and the results show how unpopular this move is We asked: Are banks justified in charging customers for cash transactions in their own accounts? Out of 575 responses, 78 per cent replied in the negative while 22 per cent supported the banks' move But why did banks make this move?
Renita Saint: Free withdrawal days are over: ICICI, Axis, HDFC Bank restore cash charges The new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts effective from today Some banks, including HDFC Bank, have begun charging a minimum amount of Rs 150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month. The new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts effective from today, leading private sector player HDFC Bank said in a circular. The bank would also cap the third party cash transactions at Rs 25,000 per day, while cash handling charges would be withdrawn effective today, the circular added. In the case of several banks, including ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, these charges came into effect early in January and are same as they were before the demonetisation move announced on November 8, while there is an increase in such fees in case of some others, including HDFC Bank, today onwards. These charges are for cash transactions in the branches, and not through ATMs.
SBI to charge for breaching monthly average balance in saving accounts Come April 1, and the State Bank of India will once again begin to charge customers for failing to maintain the monthly average balance (MAB) in their savings bank accounts. The bank done away with this rule in July 2012 to expand customer base. The country's largest lender will levy charges to partly cover costs incurred for managing systems and operations for saving bank accounts. The charge is linked to the gap between the amount held in an account and the MAB required to be maintained in it. According to an SBI communication to branches, the monthly average balance that customers will have to maintain in savings bank accounts with branch in metropolitan areas is Rs 5,000. If the shortfall -- the gap between amount in account and Rs 5,000 (MAB in metropolitan region) is 50 per cent or less, then SBI will levy a charge of Rs 50 plus service tax. For rural areas the MAB is much lower at Rs 1,000 and the levy charged for failing to maintain a certain balance is also low.
Get rid of 3-month notice period: Techies ask govt to ease quitting process The government should make it easier for IT professionals, who are expecting single-digit hikes in the coming financial year, to exit their jobs, an online petition signed by over 28,000 professionals has demanded, reported The Economic Times on Thursday. Their complaint? The three-month non-negotiable notice period that most IT firms hold their employees to. According to the report, the petition said, "It is unrealistic for anyone to plan that far ahead for their future actions and resign in advance not knowing state of the issue in next three months." The petition has been addressed to the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment. Speaking to the financial daily, an IT professional, who did not want to be named, said that no company would be willing to wait for three months while their new employee serves out his or her period at their old firm. Growing pains The Indian IT sector, and its employees, will not escape this predicament either.
UP assembly polls: Over 52% voter turnout till 4 pm in fifth phase Amid tight security, an estimated 52 per cent of 1.81 crore electorates on Monday cast their votes till 4 pm during the fifth phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh where all eyes are set on Amethi and Faizabad. Polling is on, by and large peacefully, in 51 Assembly constituencies spread over 11 districts of the state. "Over 52 per cent polling was recorded till 4 pm," poll officials said in Lucknow. The exercise was slow in the first two hours but picked up the pace gradually, with the first-time voters seen exercising their franchise quite enthusiastically. Prajapati, against whom a FIR has been lodged in an alleged rape case, said the people were with him and there was a strong wave in the favour of the ruling SP. Amita, wife of Congress leader Sanjay Singh, hoped people would support the best candidate "and I will definitely win." Garima, the first wife of Sanjay, on the other hand said there was no development in the constituency and people were facing problems.
Renita Saint: Exploring Untapped Potential of Mutual Funds The MUTUAL FUND industry has seen unprecedented growth in the past 3 years. In November 2016, total assets managed by mutual funds touched a record high of ?16.5 lakh crores rupees, a year on year growth of 27%. Total number of folios in India also reached a record number of 4.7 crore. MoneyFront aims to highlight the true potential of mutual funds to investors by firstly adopting the no-conflict option of direct plan of mutual funds. Exploring Untapped Potential of Mutual Funds A direct consequence of this is an increase in returns by up to 1.5% annually, as the commissions paid to the distributors/agent are not charged to the scheme. For investors who are not well-versed about mutual funds or who need help with their asset allocation, {*style:<i>*}{*style:<b>*}MONEYFRONT{*style:</b>*}{*style:</i>*} also offers investment advisory that provides model portfolios and scheme recommendations tailor-made to the investor’s financial goals and risk tolerance levels.
Business Standard | Add Blocker Telecom major Bharti Airtel has decided to do away with national roaming charges for both voice and data services , a move that will benefit its 268 million users, in order to take on Mukesh Ambani's Reliance JioInfocomm. Airtel announced free incoming calls, SMS and no Premium on outgoing calls while roaming across India. "This marks the death of national roaming," said Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel. In a BSE filing, Airtel said daily billing will be automatically adjusted to the price of basic one day pack even for customers who don't buy a roaming pack. With this, Airtel mobile customers will be able to carry their numbers across India and the world. Starting from April 1, 2017, Airtel customers will not be charged for data usage on national roaming. Call charges have been reduced by upto 90 per cent to as low as Rs 3 per minute and data charges by upto 99 per cent to Rs 3 per MB across roaming destinations. * Free incoming calls/ SMSes on national roaming
Renita Saint: Your Loan Eligibility Holds the Key to Your Dream Home LATEST NEWS – Have you ever been hounded by telemarketers urging you to apply for a loan? Calls, text messages, WhatsApp or even meeting you in person, representatives of financial companies leave no stone unturned when it comes to convincing you to take a loan. But how is the LOAN ELIGIBILITY application processed? Do lenders really bend over backwards to hand you the loan cheque? It does not quite work that way. Yes, sales personnel employed by financial institutions are aggressive in their attempts to lure you. It is the borrower who is expected to satisfy the credit parameters and fulfil all the eligibility criteria for the Home Loan. Let’s get down to the basics. The simple answer is the borrower’s ability to repay the loan. This means the income of the loan applicant must be enough to pay the instalments on time. With interest rates favourable, now is as good a time to take a Home Loan as any.