How existing Borrowers can reduce their home loan interest rates

Lenders are aggressively reducing interest rates on new home loans. But what if you are an existing borrower? Those who have taken home loans before April 2016 are still paying a higher interest as their loans are either base rate-linked or benchmark/retail prime lending rate (B/RPLR)-linked. The options before you are as follows

If bank is the lender

One-time switch to MCLR: You can switch from a base rate to MCLR or marginal cost-of funds based lending rate. The latter is more dynamic as it is directly linked to repo rate and allows you to enjoy the change in interest rates faster. “In the current cycle of lower interest rates, it makes sense to shift to MCLR as a downward change in repo rate will lead to lower MCLR

There is also a cost involved. Banks charge a conversion fee of around 0.5% on your outstanding loan amount, plus taxes. For instance, if your home loan outstanding is Rs 20 lakh, the conversion fee would be around Rs 10,000, plus taxes. Most importantly, switching to MCLR is a one-time option; you cannot revert to base rate again. And once you choose an MCLR rate, you cannot reset it for the next one year.

If loan is with NBFCs

Reset to a lower rate: The MCLR system doesn’t apply to housing finance companies (HFCs) and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). So, if you have taken a loan from either, you can reset your interest rate by paying a conversion fee.

Once you opt for a reduced interest rate either with banks or NBFCs, you have the option of maintaining the same EMI or lower the loan tenure and vice versa. In case you choose the option to lower the EMI, you would be required to provide new ECS mandate/post-dated cheques.

Cost-benefit analysis

Before taking the plunge, calculate the total cost you are incurring to reduce your interest rate, and the savings you are making in the process. If the fees are higher than the savings, it doesn’t make sense to switch or reset. Account for the total cost—conversion fee plus taxes. Look for at least 25 bps differences in interest rates.

Also, consider the remaining tenure of your Home Loan. “When the balance tenure is only a few years, it is not advisable to switch/reset as the bulk of the interest component would have been paid and EMI would constitute mainly the principal

Refinance options

If the deal with your existing lender isn’t lucrative, you could consider refinance or balance transfer option. However, it is a lengthy process. It is like getting your loan approved all over again. Refinancing can be costly too. Various fees of the new lender can be up to 50 bps of the loan amount and then there is the mortgage fee plus taxes.

[Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/real-estate/how-to-bring-down-your-home-loan-interest-rates/articleshow/55385784.cms]