Getting a floating rate home
loan from the State Bank of India (
SBI) just got a little more dearer. The country’s largest lender has increased the spread it charges over its external benchmark rate (EBR) by 20 basis points for floating rate home loans for new borrowers with effect from May 1.
By widening the spread over its repo rate-linked external benchmark rate, which is EBR plus spread, it now stands at 7.40 per cent as against 7.20 per cent on April 1, 2020 (1 basis points/bps = 0.01 per cent).
This comes on the same day SBI cuts its marginal cost-based lending rates (MCLR) by 15 bps across all tenors. According to a press release issued by the bank, "The one year
MCLR comes down to 7.25 percent per annum from 7.40 percent p.a. with effect from May 10, 2020. This is the twelfth consecutive reduction in bank’s MCLR. Consequently, EMIs on eligible home loan accounts (linked to MCLR) will get cheaper by approx. Rs 255.00 for a 30 year loan of Rs. 25 lakh."
SBI cuts MCLR, FD rates but hikes floating home loan rates
| Tenor |
Existing MCLR (In %) |
Revised MCLR (In %) |
| Over night |
7.1 |
6.95 |
| One Month |
7.1 |
6.95 |
| Three Month |
7.15 |
7.00 |
| Six Month |
7.35 |
7.20 |
| One Year |
7.4 |
7.25 |
| Two Years |
7.6 |
7.45 |
| Three Years |
7.7 |
7.55 |
Apart from altering loan rates, SBI has further lowered
interest rates on its fixed deposits (FDs) by 20 bps. These lower rates are applicable for FDs of up to three years and the cut will be effective from May 12, 2020.
Even though the bank has cut interest rates on certain FDs, it has also launched an FD product to "safeguard the interests of senior citizens in the current falling rate regime," a press release from the bank stated. The product, SBI Wecare Deposit, is a retail term
deposit for senior citizens. This scheme would be in effect up to September 30, 2020.
Special deposit for senior citizens
According to the release, under this new product, an additional 30 bps premium will be payable for
senior citizen’s Retail term deposits with “5 Years and above” tenor only. This scheme would be in effect up to September 30, 2020.
Thus under this product, the effective rate of interest for retail TDs of Senior Citizens will be:
- For Retail TD of ‘below 5 years’ tenor: 50 bps higher than the rate applicable for the general public (no change in premium)
- For Retail TD of ‘5 years and above’ tenor (new product): 80 bps higher than the rate applicable for the general public (30 bps extra premium).
This additional premium will not be payable in case of premature withdrawal of such deposits.