RBI's new guidelines have given the domestic scheduled commercial banks a big fillip in their branch opening plans. As per the new guidelines, domestic scheduled commercial banks do not need explicit permission(license) to open new branches in cities with less than 50,000 population.
what this means for some of the banks
- PNB can open 440 more branches this year without bothering about RBI approval
- UCO plans to open 140 branches this year but would need licenses for only 89

Clearly, RBI wants the financial system to reach smaller towns & cities and this would be a big step in that direction.

HDFC has followed SBI in launching a dual rate offer for Home Loans.

SBI had offered- 8% for 1st Year | 8.5% for 2nd & 3rd years | From 4th year the consumer had a choice between fixed & floating (SBI's floating rate is 275 basis pts beloe its benchmark rate)

Now HDFC has come into the market which sounds very similar- fixed rate of 8.25% till March 2012 and then a floating rate which is 500 basis points below the PLR.

HDFC had made a lot of noise about the SBI scheme when it was launched. They had attacked the scheme as being opportunistic and a sure shot path to higher default ratio in the portfolio.

Axis Bank has slashed the car loan rates in Hyderabad, Bangalore & Chennai to 9% for all vehicles. It has also waived off the processing fees and this scheme is applicable upto the end of this month.

SBI had already started being aggressive in the Car loans market. In June 09, SBI had slashed its car loan rates to 8% for the first year and 10% for the next two years. For the remaining years, borrowers would be charged 25-75 basis points below the bank's PLR.
Axis Bank's rate in comparison are fixed for the complete tenure of the loan.

Similarly HDFC bank had reduced its rates by 50 basis points to 10.5-11% range.

‘SBI-Maxgain’ Home Loans

SBI bank has come up with the most favorable home loan scheme for the borrowers. SBI-Maxgain Home loans scheme will let the borrowers to earn more on their savings which results into the weigh down of interest on Home Loans with no extra cost.

The SBI Railway Card - The only credit card that gives you Free Train Tickets. The State Bank of India (SBI) Railways Card is brought to you by SBI Cards and Indian Railways through IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited).

Features

* Get Back Up to 10%* of your AC ticket fare as Railway Points

* 0% Transaction Charge* on tickets booked at www.irctc.co.in

* Earn FREE* tickets:
Shop, dine, travel on your SBI Railway Card and earn 1 Railway Point for every Rs. 125 of retail spends.

* Rs 10 Lac Free* Personal Accident Insurance Protection

* 0% Fuel Surcharge

SBI Home loans is one of the most preffered Home loan product in the Indian Industry.Recently it was judged as most preffered home loan provider By Awaaz consumer awards in 2007.

For what purpose you can take Sbi Home loan ?

Purchase/ Construction of House/ Flat
Purchase of a plot of land for construction of House
Extension/ repair/ renovation/ alteration of an existing House/ Flat
Purchase of Furnishings and Consumer Durables as a part of the project cost.
Takeover of an existing loan from other Banks/ Housing Finance Companies.

Who all can apply for Sbi Home Loan?

State Bank of India is the biggest bank in the country with a wide physical presence.
SBI also has an impressive product portfolio.

SBI Credit cards

SBI Personal Loans- rates , eligibility & documents

In 1998 saw a new opening for the Indian credit card users. GE Capital Services, the largest issuer of private label credit cards in the world and State Bank of India, the largest Indian bank created two companies to address the market: namely, SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd. (SBICPSL) and GE Capital Business Process management Services ltd. (GECBPMSL). The joint venture was set up to leverage the brand equity, customer relationship and the unparalleled network of SBI and the technological processes and service capabilities of GE Capital to offer you products that are value for money and supported by quality and service.