In an attempt to help the credit card holders, Reserve Bank has made it clear that the banks will have to pay a penalty for harassing customers over misuse of unsolicited cards.    

The banking regulator in its latest stringent guidelines has said if a customer is billed for unsolicited card, which is issued and activated without his consent, the card issuing bank shall not only reverse the charges forthwith (on misuse of unsolicited cards) but also pay a penalty without demur to the recipient amounting to twice the value of charges reversed.

New Delhi, June 25: The Finance Ministry today expressed hope that the Reserve Bank of India’s decision of increasing the repo rate by 50 basis points and the CRR by 50 basis points in two stages without compromising economic growth, would help to rein in the surging inflation.

It said in a statement that the steps are expected to regulate demands and are necessary in the face of rising inflation due to relentless increase in crude oil prices.

Mumbai, Apr 29: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will announce the annual the monetary and credit policy for the year 2008-09 today.

Rising inflation could impact the policy in terms of further rate hikes.

The RBI’s key policy rates were raised nine times since October 2004, while the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), the mandatory amounts that the banks have to keep with RBI, was raised five times since December 2006.

After the inflation rate moved up to a nine-month high to 5.11%, RBI governor YV Reddy stated that India’s monetary plan has already included the rising food and fuel prices.

According to the data, the annual wholesale price inflation rate touched 5.11% in the week ended March 1, and the prices have gone up by 5.01% during the last week.

It is projected that inflation will go up in the coming weeks. Mr. Reddy had recently expressed his worry over increasing food and energy prices.

The central bank wishes to keep inflation around 5% during the 2007/08 fiscal year ending March 31.

New Delhi, Mar 14: Inflation rose to over nine-month high at 5.11 per cent for the week ended March 1, due to rise in prices of some manufactured items and aviation turbine fuel, dashing all hopes of interest rate cuts by the RBI to boost the sagging industrial production.

The wholesale price index-based inflation rate stood at 5.02 per cent in the previous week and 6.51 per cent in the correspondingly week a year earlier.

This is the second week in a row that the inflation rate crossed the five per cent mark, the target set by the reserve bank for this fiscal.

By April 2009, the customers will be capable of withdrawing money from ATM without paying any charge.

The Reserve Bank of India has directed the commercial banks to let customers’ free use of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) for all transactions from 1 April 2009.

According to an RBI announcement, the customers can also use ATMs of other banks for balance enquiries free of cost.

The RBI has also asked banks to put a limit on the fees charged for using ATMs of other banks to Rs 20 for each transaction from March 31, 2008, and eradicate the same from April 2009.