Banks should allow borrowers to opt for fixed rates

Mumbai The RBI on Friday directed banks to allow individual borrowers paying loans through EMIs to opt for fixed interest rate system or extension of loan tenor, a move aimed at preventing loanees from falling into the trap of negative amortisation, in wake of rising interest rate. The interest rates have moved northward since May 2022 after the central bank started raising the benchmark lending rate (repo) in a bid to check inflation following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. As a result of 250 basis points increase in the repo rate, a large number of borrowers faced negative amortisation, wherein the Equated Monthly Instalment (EMI) works out to be less than the interest obligation, resulting in persistent increase of the principal amount.