Ans: The circular is applicable to all equated periodic instalment based personal loans only. The circular is not applicable to other types of loans. The Reserve Bank circular DBR.No.BP.BC.99/08.13.100/2017-18 on “XBRL Returns – Harmonization of Banking Statistics” dated January 04, 2018 may be referred for the definition of personal loans.

Ans: Communications to borrowers envisaged in the circular are:

(a) At the time of sanction:

1. Annualised rate of interest/ Annual Percentage Rate (APR), as applicable, shall be disclosed in the Key Fact Statement (KFS) and the loan agreement.

2. The possible impact of change in benchmark interest rate on the loan.

(b) During the tenure of the loan:

1. Subsequently, any increase in the EMI/tenor on account of the external benchmark rate shall be communicated; and

2. Quarterly statements shall be provided disclosing at the minimum, the principal and interest recovered till date, EMI amount, number of EMIs left and annualized rate of interest for the tenor of the loan.

Ans: Whenever there is a reset of interest rates for an entire class of borrowers in a particular loan category, say home loan, due to increase in the reference benchmark; the RE shall provide the following options to the borrowers:

1. Either enhancement in EMI or elongation of number of EMIs, keeping the EMI unchanged or a combination of both options;

2. Switch to fixed interest rate for the remaining portion of the loan; and

3. To prepay, either in part or in full, at any point during the residual tenor of the loan.

Ans: Yes, REs have to mandatorily offer fixed interest rate product in all equated installment based personal loan categories. As stated in paragraph 2 (ii) of the circular, REs shall provide the option to the borrowers to switch over to a fixed rate as per their Board approved policy at the time of reset of interest rates.

Ans: Yes, the intent of the circular is to allow flexibility to the customer to switch from floating rate loan to fixed rate loan or vice versa subject to applicable charges. The RE is required to specify the number of times a borrower will be allowed to exercise the switch option during the tenor of the loan under its Board approved policy.

Ans: It is clarified that the circular covers all equated installment based personal loans, irrespective of whether they are linked to an external benchmark or an internal benchmark.

Ans: Yes, as stated in paragraph 2 (iv) of the circular, RE can levy applicable charges for switching of loans from floating to fixed rate or vice versa and/ or any other service charges/ administrative costs incidental to the exercise of the switchover options and the same shall be transparently disclosed in the sanction letter and also, at the time of revision of such charges/ costs by the RE.

The applicable charges shall be as approved by the board of the RE and shall be displayed on their website as per extant instructions.

Ans: The options prescribed vide circular on ‘Reset of Floating Interest Rate on Equated Monthly Instalments (EMI) based Personal Loans’ dated August 18, 2023 shall be allowed for housing loans extended by UCBs, subject to the regulations prescribed vide Master Circular on ‘Housing Finance for UCBs’ dated April 11, 2023 or as amended in the future.

Ans: Yes, the circular will be applicable to the existing borrowers.