Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

20-December-2012 17:57 IST

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with effect from October 22, 1997 has permitted commercial banks to decide the rates of interest payable on domestic term deposits of various maturities with the prior approval of their respective Board of Directors/Asset Liability Management Committee.

The banks are now free to offer any interest rate on domestic term deposits according to their cost structure with the approval of their board.

The RBI has also deregulated the rates of interest payable on saving bank deposits w.e.f. 25th October, 2011. Banks are now free to determine their interest rate on savings bank deposits subject to:-

(i) Each bank will have to offer a uniform interest rate on savings bank deposits up to Rs. 1 lakh, irrespective of the amount in the account within this limit and

(ii) For savings bank deposits exceeding Rs. 1 lakh, a bank may provide differential rates of interest, if it so chooses, subject to the condition that banks will not discriminate in the matter of interest paid on such deposits, between one deposit and another of similar amount, accepted on the same date, at any of its offices.

Scheduled Commercial Banks are regulated by the RBI which has permitted them to decide on the rates of interest payable as explained above. There is no felt need to issue guidelines for uniformity in rates of interest on deposits, payable by banks.

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

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DSM/RS/bs

Deregulation of bank deposit interest rates allows banks to set rates with board approval while preserving non discrimination. Banks may set term deposit rates with board or Asset Liability Management Committee approval; savings deposit rates are deregulated but each bank must offer a uniform rate on savings up to Rs. 1 lakh, and may offer differential rates above that threshold provided it does not discriminate between deposits of similar amount accepted on the same date at any of its offices.