Part 1: The Dream and the Fine Print For Sunil and Priya Mehta, the dream was a modest 2-BHK in Pune’s Baner neighborhood. In 2018, the price was ₹75 lakhs. They had saved ₹15 lakhs for a down payment. For the remaining ₹60 lakhs, they needed a bank.
But within a year, the emails started. "Dear Customer, your home loan interest rate has been revised..." The MCLR moved up. Their rate climbed to 9.00%, then 9.25%. The EMI stayed the same, but the tenure stretched from 20 years to 24 years. The fine print was eating their future. Then came the pandemic. The RBI slashed rates. The Mehtas watched news anchors discuss the External Benchmark Based Lending Rate (EBLR) . ICICI Bank, like its peers, was forced to shift new loans to an external benchmark—the Repo Rate . icici bank home loan interest rate
Like millions of Indians, they walked into an ICICI Bank branch. The manager, a shrewd man named Mr. Sharma, slid a sheet across the table. "Ma'am, Sir," he began, "Our current ICICI Bank home loan interest rate is , linked to the MCLR (Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate)." Part 1: The Dream and the Fine Print
The economic cycle has turned. In late 2024 and early 2025, the RBI cut the Repo Rate twice to spur growth. It now stands at 6.00%. For the remaining ₹60 lakhs, they needed a bank
Mr. Sharma shook his head. "Sir, fixed rate is currently . Higher than your 9.35%. But it will stay fixed for 5 years."