• SBI Cuts Interest Rates on 
  Short Term Deposits, Again

  India’s largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) has slashed interest rates on select short term maturities, yet again. This strategic move, to be effective from November 1st 201, is the third time in the last three months that SBI has taken the axe to it’s promising short term maturities portfolio (up to Rs.1 crore maturing in 7-45 days). The lender has dropped a whole percentage point, going from the prevalent 6% to 5%, a move that will not be enthusiastically received by depositors in the higher investment bracket.
  SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya lists the bank’s excess of liquid funds and lack of demand for credit that requires an adjustment of the Asset Liability Management (ALM), as the express reason for this flash move. Experts at the India Ratings and Research Pvt Ltd believe that these gradual changes in the deposit rates will allow SBI to improve it’s Net Income Level (NIL) over the forthcoming period of time. Earlier, the premier lender had reduced the interest rate on deposits in the 7-45 days margin by 100 basis points to 6% as on 30th September. Before that, on 16th September, the bank had slashed interest rates on medium term deposits with tenures of a year to less than three years by 25 basis points to arrive at 8.75% and a further 25% basis points on deposits in the 180-210 days bracket to a value of 7.25%. All in all, it’s a period of aggressive shake-ups at SBI.
• 29th October