Prajna Capital - An Investment Guide

AT A time when financial awareness remains a challenge, more investors find themselves saddled with hidden costs and there seems to be a penalty for any wrong step you take at a bank. What’s worse, most of the charges come without prior notice. The charges range from non-maintenance of quarterly average bank deposit, cash payment penalty on credit cards to cheque book usage, among others. From April 2007 to March 2008, such complaints increased almost threefold, to a staggering 490 cases, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). QUARTERLY BALANCE MAINTENANCE You just can’t afford to be indiscipline while banking today. It carries a financial burden. There’s a big penalty to be paid if you fail to maintain the average quarterly balance. Not only you are liable to pay Rs 500-1,500 as fine, but also chargeable for speaking to a customer care executive. India’s two largest private banks, ICICI Bank & HDFC Bank, ask you to shell out Rs 50 each time you make a call to the custome...