HDFC Bank pitches toxic product to NRIs  

June 11, 2013

HDFC Bank is targeting non-resident Indians (NRIs) with a fixed income product, exposing them to foreign currency fluctuations. If a customer loses money, he has to be blamed, of course, for falling for this hard-sell from his 'trusted' banker

Sucheta Dalal

Rupeemax is a product that HDFC Bank is targeting at non-resident Indians (NRIs) with the tagline “Earn better returns on your NRE Deposits: 12%.” A breathless email message, seeking appointments with well-heeled NRIs, draws attention “to a very interesting opportunity in the NR FD space.” The marketing pitch says: NRE FDs have earned 8.75% compounding quarterly over a 5-year period giving a tax free, repatriable interest of 10.83% over that period. For that same period, HDFC Banks claims, “we can enhance the rate from 8.75% to 9.5%, which with the compounding effect can deliver an annual yield of 11.9% to12.10% as against 10.83%.”

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