Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has informed that they have advised Scheduled Commercial Banks, vide their circular dated 01.07.2013 to follow a uniform, fair and transparent pricing policy and not to discriminate between their customers at home branch and non-home branches. If a particular service is provided free at home branch, the same should be available free at non-home branches also. There should be no discrimination as regards intersol charges between similar transactions done by customers at home branches and those done at non-home branches. However, cash handling charges are not included under intersol charges. The circular dated 01.07.2013 is available at RBI website www.rbi.org.in.

This was stated by Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

Uniform pricing: banks must not discriminate between home and non-home branch customers; identical fees for similar transactions. Reserve Bank guidance requires scheduled commercial banks to adopt a uniform pricing policy preventing discriminatory fees between home branch and non home branch customers; services free at a home branch must be free at non home branches, and identical treatment must be applied to intersol charges for similar transactions, while cash handling charges are excluded from that parity requirement.