FIIs hit ceiling in 10 state-run banks

Foreign institutional investors’ investments in three more public sector banks - Andhra Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and Canara Bank - are nearing the 20 per cent ceiling specified by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The FII holding in these three banks went over 19 per cent in the June 2007 quarter, taking the total number of banks, where FIIs are barred from making fresh purchases, to 10. The list comprises State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank, Bank of Baroda, Allahabad Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and Vijaya Bank. Among private sector banks, FIIs has hit the ceiling in ICICI Bank and Centurion Bank of Punjab.

SBH defers public offer

The State Bank of Hyderabad, which planned a public offer during the second quarter of the current fiscal, has put on hold its proposed IPO and has decided to take a final call in December. “We will review the proposal in December. Currently, it is put on hold,” Amitabha Guha , the managing director , State Bank of Hyderabad said. This follows the instruction from the State Bank of India to all its associate bank not to indulge in such exercise pending their merger with SBI. “With every passing day the possibility of merger is getting brighter”, Guha added.

Barclays unveils platinum debit card

Barclays India has launched the ‘Barclays Platinum Debit card’, which is an international debit card with a host of benefits. This includes cash withdrawal facilities and benefits on dining, golf, travel, shopping and other services. Barclays’ customers can spend up to Rs 1 lakh on their card per day and withdraw the same amount from an ATM per day.

HSBC India goes in for a down-to-earth transformation

HSBC Bank's image in India is undergoing a change. Nowhere is this more evident than in the bank’s increasing focus on the small and medium enterprise segment as well as retail borrowers. “We are serving all ends of the spectrum,” says Ms Kidwai. “We have coined a brand of products called HSBC Pragati Finance - basically consumer finance. Today we are among the top three lenders in the country in this space. We are disbursing about 15,000 loans a month.” These small-ticket loans (less than Rs 50,000 per loan) are given without a security. Explains Ms Kidwai, “We have taken a view to giving it without collateral. What good is the security? What do we do with a durable like a scooter or television? We are really looking for the willingness to repay. Not too many banks lend unsecured loans of this order.” “If a borrower’s record improves with us, he or she will get lower interest rates,” says Ms Kidwai. Those rates are currently in the region of 32 per cent to 48 per cent per annum.