Tuesday, September 04, 2012

REAL ESTATE: INTEREST RATES

Yes, we can! RBI must move immediately to ensure banks charge logical rates

While the RBI might succeed in demotivating new home buyers from taking loans, the past home buyers would slowly be pushed to the brink of defaulting, if not insolvency.

As per a recent study by CRISIL, the share of bad loans to total loans in banks, which was 2.3% in 2009 is likely to swell up to 4% in 2010; the same is further expected to rise to 5% in 2011. The final effect will be both economical (As per May, 2010 figures, total bank loans equalled Rs.305,325 crores) and psychological (as asset demand would crash).

The solution? Delink home loan rates from other base rates. Force banks to ensure that each home loan’s base rate remains at the original cost at which the bank procured the money (to then give it to the home loan customer). By arbitrarily increasing home loan rates across even old loans, banks are doing their mite to destabilise the economic situation. An RBI move is required right now.