The RBI draft report on home loans has also suggested that banks should introduce and popularise long-term fixed rate home loan with a provision of re-fixing the interest rate after period of 7-10 years.
These suggestions form a part of a report, 'Feasibility of Introducing More Long-Term Fixed Interest Rate Loan Products by banks. RBI has invited comments from the public on the report by November 23.
At present, banks give home loans with a maximum tenure of 15-20 years only.
The report also suggested that banks should popularise fixed deposit schemes for periods of over five years as it would help them procure long-term funds.
The banks, the report added, may also raise funds by floating 30-year bonds on the line of government securities.
The report said "transparency in retail loan products should be appropriately addressed and the customers be educated by lending institutions on the possible impact of rate changes on EMIs to enable borrowers to have better planning with regard to their repayments".
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During 1977-2000, fixed rate loan products were popular. However, post 2000, these products gave place to floating rate loans mainly due to falling interest rates in the early 2000s and significantly higher interest rate on fixed rate loan products in many cases.
The encouragement to fixed rate home loan, it added, is necessary as "customers are not able to understand the intricacies of economic cycles, changes in policy rates, transmission of the same and the consequential sudden increase in equated monthly instalments (EMIs) therby exposing themselves to interest rate risk". (more)