Showing posts with label REPO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label REPO. Show all posts

Monday, May 25, 2020

RBI extends EMI moratorium - latest update

As India struggles to get back on its feet in the rest of the world, the Reserve Bank of India is exploring ways to make the life of the common man less stressful.

The first EMI moratorium was announced on 27 March 2020 and was to cover debt repayment between March 1 and May 31. As the COVID-19 pandemic still continues, it was clear that postponement expansion was needed. That is why today (22 May 2020), RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das extended the moratorium on loan repayment saying - “In view of the expansion and continued disruption of lockdown due to COVID-19, the decision to allow lending institutions has been taken. From June 1 to August 31, 2020, another three months to extend the moratorium on term loan installments.

How does an extended EMI moratorium help?


About 122 million people lost their jobs due to the outbreak of COVID-19. To add to this, self-employed individuals are struggling to make ends meet due to loss of income during the epidemic. If you are wondering, about 51% of India's workforce is self-employed! This means that a large part of India's working population is now finding it difficult to manage its expenses and pay back its debts.

The additional 3-month extension would provide some much-needed relief to these individuals. They will now be able to take out their loans such as car loans, home loans etc. If they miss an EMI payment then they run the risk of negatively affecting their credit score.

Now that the loan is deferred for 3 months, and money is not deducted from their bank accounts, most people will have little money to watch them until things start appearing.

Important points to keep in mind about EMI moratorium


Although the RBI EMI moratorium is good news for many people, what should you know here-

· The EMI moratorium is not a mandate, it is a competent provision. Banks have the right to decide whether they want to follow it or not. Individual banks will also be allowed to decide whether this moratorium will be extended to all borrowers.

· If you have decided to avail the moratorium, the EMI will be extended with interest applicable to your outstanding principal amount during the unpaid time. This will increase your overall interest cost. If you have the money to manage your loan EMI, it is best to stick to the original repayment schedule, especially if you have a notable outstanding loan amount for a loan against a home loan or property.

· The moratorium prevents payments for principal and / or interest components; Bullet repayment; Equal Monthly Installments (EMIs) and credit card dues.

Repo rate reduction


Apart from announcing the moratorium, RBI also announced a drastic reduction of 40 basis points in the repo rate to 4%. The reverse repo rate has also been reduced by 40 basis points to 3.35%.

Repo rate is the interest rate that RBI charges for the funds to be given to banks. This drastic reduction in repo rates will also reduce the lending rates to banks. Lower lending rates will give people hope to think about reinvesting. It is also said that EMI will come down on home, auto, personal and term loan rates in the near future.