Consumer Finance in India-Part 1

Consumer finance in the most basic sense of the word refers to any kind of lending to consumers. In United States it refers to the branch that is lending the amount which is actually very low than the perfect credit. It is the part of retail banking. One of the best ways to get the unsecured loans is through the consumer finance. Through consumer financing one can easily get the loans and can meet the demands and the desires. The term includes the following mentioned activities and these are as follows:
• Loans
• Indirect Finance
A RECENT poll by Asia Money has ranked HDFC Bank as the number one bank in India in categories such as customer service, back-office or post trade finance, competitive and prompt spot pricing, forex options provider for non-Asian currencies, currency strategy provider and technical analysis. The latest issue of the Asian Bankers Journal ranks HDFC Bank at No 7 in the list of strongest banks.

Consumer finance opportunity in India is one of the best available anywhere in the world. Sixty-four per cent of our GDP is domestic consumption-based. We have the youngest population in the world, demographics are changing, types of jobs are changing, and reforms are turning up which will lead to further impetus to consumer dynamics.

In addition, our loan to GDP for consumer loan is 6 per cent; in most developed countries it is 100 per cent and in marginally developed countries it is 40 per cent. So consumer finance will continue to be a major growth area.

Time to lock our money in bank FDs

Investors looking at high returns on deposits should soon lock their money with banks since interest rates on retail deposits have peaked.As mentioned in my last post that repo rates have been cut down which indicates that this is the beginning of a soft interest rate regime. Further, it is being said they would first lower their deposit rates and then reduce lending rates. This indicates that banks may come under pressure to reduce deposits rates. Currently, most banks are paying a maximum rate of 10.5% for one to less than three years while senior citizens are entitled for 11%. Interestingly, the 10.5% offered on deposits for three years was last offered in 1999-00, following which the interest rate cycle began to turn southwards. Rates had fallen sharply to 5.25-5.50% in 2003-04. The country’s largest housing finance company, HDFC, offers as high as 10.90% for 30 months if an individual deposits Rs 1 lakh and above. While for deposits below Rs 1 lakh, HDFC offers 10.55%. Although 10.5% for 390 looks attractive, ideally, a depositor should invest in long-term deposits like 890 days. This will help them avoid a negative impact of lower interest rates. This means that if a depositor parks his money in long-term deposits, even if the interest rate cycle turns, the depositor would gain. The highest rate on longest tenure is 10.5% offered by India’s largest bank, SBI, which is for 1,000 days.