Good news for homebuyers! SBI to make home loans 'cheapest' from next month

In a good news for homebuyers, home loans would become cheaper from next month as the largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to offer interest rate lowest at 8.05% from beginning September 2019. Surprising, but quite true! New home buyers can actually avail home loan at just 8.05% rate. This can also be attributed to RBI’s rate cut in third bi-monthly monetary policy of FY20, where policy repo rate has been brought down to 5.40%. SBI is the first bank to link their home loan with repo rate, and hence, the latter’s cut brings good news to home buyers. 

Via its twitter account, SBI said, “#SBI gives you an extra reason to celebrate! With the lowest interest rate of 8.05% based on the #Repo Linked Lending Rate, for your #HomeLoan this #festive season will definitely be more joyous.”

#SBI gives you an extra reason to celebrate! With the lowest interest rate of 8.05% based on the #Repo Linked Lending Rate, for your #HomeLoan this #festive season will definitely be more joyous.
#StateBankofIndia #SBIHomeLoan #RLLR pic.twitter.com/7OymgzQ4cq

— State Bank of India (@TheOfficialSBI) August 19, 2019

Further good news is that the new rate will also be available to existing repo linked lending rate (RLLR) customers as well from September 01, 2019. Other best feature in this home loan would be that, there are low processing fee, no prepayment penalty, interest charges on daily reducing balance, longer tenure and most importantly change in interest rate as per change in SBI’s RLLR. 

RBI in August 2019 policy, made a 35 basis points cut bringing down repo rate at all-time low of 5.40%. Earlier, this monetary rate was set at 5.75%.

On the same day, when the policy was announced, SBI had reduced its MCLR by 15 basis points across tenors. The 1-year MCLR from August 10, 2019, would come down to 8.25% from previous 8.40% per annum. Such would be a fourth consecutive cut in MCLR in fiscal FY20. 

Following the MCLR cut, SBI currently offers the lowest home loan rate to salaried women at an interest rate of 8.35% to 8.45% on amount upto Rs 30 lakhs. In case of non-salaried women, then the interest is higher between 8.50 to 8.60%. On the same home loan amount, interest rate is set at 8.40% to 8.50% on salaried men and 8.55% to 8.65% on non-salaried men. Home loans above Rs 30 lakhs and upto Rs 75 lakhs, has 8.60% to 8.70% rate on salaried women, while 8.75% to 8.85% is levied on non-salaried women. As for, salaried and non-salaried men the interest rate is ranging from 8.65% to 8.75% and 8.80% to 8.90% respectively.

For home loans above Rs 75 lakhs, the salaried and non-salaried women are supposed to pay interest rate between 8.70% to 8.80% and 8.85% to 8.95% respectively. In case of salaried and non-salaried men, the interest rate varies from 8.75% to 8.85% and 8.90% to 9.05% respectively. Currently, the lowest interest rate offered by SBI stands at 8.35%, while the maximum would be 9.05%.