This is a little old news. RBI has finally abolished Prepayment charges or penalty on home loans with floating interest rates. Borrowers can now transfer to new lender which provides them less interest rates without paying any kind of charges or penalty. Damodaran Committee on customer service in banks, RBI) has been observed that banks have been unfair in asking for charges when home loan borrowers want to switch to some other lender with lesser interest rates. Now if you prepay the loan from your own sources or through another lender, you only pay the outstanding loan amount.
Here are the excerpts from the circular from RBI on abolition of fore-closure charges/pre-payment penalty
2. In this context, attention is invited to paragraphs 81 to 83 of the Monetary Policy Statement 2012-13 announced on April 17, 2012 with regard to home loans on floating interest rates. The Committee on Customer Service in Banks (Chairman: M. Damodaran) had observed that foreclosure charges levied by banks on prepayment of home loans are resented upon by home loan borrowers across the board especially since banks were found to be hesitant in passing on the benefits of lower interest rates to the existing borrowers in a falling interest rate scenario. As such, foreclosure charges are seen as a restrictive practice deterring the borrowers from switching over to cheaper available source.
3. The removal of foreclosure charges/prepayment penalty on home loans will lead to reduction in the discrimination between existing and new borrowers and competition among banks will result in finer pricing of the floating rate home loans. Though many banks have in the recent past voluntarily abolished pre-payment penalties on floating rate home loans, there is a need to ensure uniformity across the banking system. It has, therefore, been decided that banks will not be permitted to charge foreclosure charges/pre-payment penalties on home loans on floating interest rate basis, with immediate effect.
Prepayment Charges removal will help !
This new rule will surely be taken in good spirit by borrowers and end the discrimination done by banks between old and new customers. This will also make sure that the interest rates become more competitive in the overall system.
Have you prepaid your home loan just some time back with charges ? Are you going to prepay the loan soon after this Prepayment Charges removal ? What are your thoughts about this new circular !