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<keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>'s <keyword id="23127366" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumption-loan" source="Orion">consumption loan</keyword> portfolio grew by 15.2% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 90.3 lakh crore as of March 2024, according to the latest <keyword id="6354680" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="credit" source="Orion">credit</keyword> bureau report. The fourth edition of the CRIF High Mark report noted a slowdown from the 17.4% growth recorded in March 2023, largely due to a deceleration in the home <keyword id="6362287" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="loans" source="Orion">loans</keyword> segment, which accounts for 40.1% of the overall consumption loan portfolio by value. The home loans portfolio saw growth slowing down to 7.9 % YoY in FY24, from the 23 % expansion seen in FY23. This was mainly due to muted growth in "originations", which increased by 9.2 % in FY'24 compared to 18.2 % in the previous fiscal year. Origination refers to the process by which a lender creates or initiates a new loan or credit, including evaluating, processing, and approving a borrower's application. The report finds a shift toward higher <keyword id="6871589" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ticket-size" source="Orion">ticket size</keyword>s, with a growing preference for loans above Rs 35 lakh, although the average ticket size (ATS) rose by 32% from Rs 20.1 lakh in FY20 to Rs 26.5 lakh in FY24. In contrast, the personal loans segment maintained strong momentum, growing by 26% YoY in FY24, despite recent regulatory reforms. Larger ticket loans of Rs 10 lakh and above increased their share in originations by value, while loans under Rs 1 lakh continued to dominate in volume. Banks led in value-based originations, whereas non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) remained dominant in volume. Two-wheeler loans experienced a 34% YoY growth in FY24, up from 30% in FY23, fueled by a shift to higher ticket-size loans. However, the overall volume of originations grew at a slower pace of 13% in FY24 compared to 32% in FY23. <keyword id="35527" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="auto-loans" source="Orion">Auto loans</keyword>, on the other hand, grew by 20% YoY in FY24, compared to 22% in FY23. Consumer durable loans posted a robust growth of 34% YoY in FY24, up from 26% expansion in the previous fiscal. This growth was driven by a shift to larger ticket sizes, although origination volumes grew by only 8.5% in FY24, compared to 38.2% in FY23. The MSME lending segment displayed mixed results, with individual MSME loans growing faster than entity MSMEs. The individual MSME portfolio increased by 29% YoY in FY24, accelerating from 15% in FY23, while entity MSME loans grew by just 6.6 % YoY, a sharp slowdown from 17.2 % in the previous year. Microfinance lending also saw strong growth, with the portfolio rising by 27% YoY in FY24, compared to 21% in FY23. "The resilience of the Indian credit market is evident in the strong performance across various lending categories and the stability in delinquencies. Home loans remain dominant, but the growth in personal loans, two-wheeler loans, and the rebound of NBFCs highlight significant shifts in the lending landscape," CRIF High Mark MD Sanjeet Dawar said.

Consumption loan portfolio expands 15% to Rs 90 lakh crore in FY24, notes CRIF report

The <keyword id="20018890" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-infrastructure" source="keywords">digital infrastructure</keyword> has made the <keyword id="20572901" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="loan-sanctioning" source="keywords">loan sanctioning</keyword> system adopt an online mode, but the <keyword id="21614839" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="loan-recovery" source="keywords">loan recovery</keyword> still requires a 'feet on the street' approach, says <keyword id="20506781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="swaminathan-j" source="keywords">Swaminathan J</keyword>, Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Speaking at a media event in Mumbai, the deputy Governor of RBI noted that with the digital infrastructure at place, many <keyword id="22721545" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fintech-players" source="keywords">fintech players</keyword> are giving loans to customers with poor credit profiles, and up on default, use aggressive recovery tactics. "While loan sanctioning and disbursement have become increasingly digital, effective collection and recovery still require a 'feet on the street' and empathetic approach. Many fintech platforms operate on a business model that involves extending <keyword id="22791879" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="small-value-loans" source="keywords">small-value loans</keyword> to customers who often have a poor credit profiles" said the deputy governor. He emphasized that the business model of many fintech platforms involves offering small-value loans to customers who often have poor credit profiles. This has led to the adoption of aggressive recovery strategies, which on many occasions also crosses ethical boundaries. He also highlighted one particularly concerning practice that involves the invasion of customers' privacy, where recovery agents access the personal data and contacts of borrowers and use that as a threat practice. Swaminathan cautioned that such tactics not only infringe on individuals right to privacy, but also risk damaging the reputation of regulated lenders associated with these fintech platforms. He also highlighted RBI's regulations on outsourcing, that even though regulated financial entities delegate certain activities to third parties, they remain ultimately accountable for the actions of their outsourced agents. The deputy governor also noted that the digitisation allows banks and NBFCs to leverage data for greater insights into their customers' requirements and behaviour, which can be used for developing bespoke products apart from facilitating better risk management and compliance. He stated that the role of RBI as a regulator is to establish guardrails or a balanced framework that encourages innovation while ensuring that risks are managed prudently. The deputy governor also indicated the primary goal of RBI is to ensure the stability and integrity of the financial system and not to hinder business operations.

Loan sanctioning has gone digital, but recovery still needs a 'feet on the street' approach, says RBI Deputy Governor

Mumbai, Three out of five consumers surveyed in India believe it is normal for people to exaggerate income on <keyword id="20243269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="loan-applications" source="keywords">loan applications</keyword>, according to a report on people's attitudes toward first-party <keyword id="20490528" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="financial-fraud" source="keywords">financial fraud</keyword>. The survey by global analytics software company FICO stated that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of Indians believe it is normal for people to deliberately misrepresent their income on mortgage applications. "Three in five consumers (63 per cent) think it is OK or normal for people to exaggerate their income on loan applications, significantly more than the global average of 39 per cent," the survey said. More than half (54 per cent) believe it is normal to falsify insurance claims, the global survey which examined 1,000 people in India said. Many Indians consider it fine to exaggerate income on personal loan applications, further complicating financial integrity. Just one third (33 per cent) of consumers believe it is never acceptable to exaggerate income on a personal loan application, while another third (35 per cent) finds it acceptable under specific conditions. "With over 60 per cent of Indian consumers viewing income falsification as acceptable or justified, banks face a very real problem of 'liar loans' that could skew risk assessment and increase bad loan rates," said Aashish Sharma, APAC segment leader for risk lifecycle and decision management at FICO. As many 1,000 Indian adults were surveyed, along with approximately 12,000 other consumers in Canada, U.S., Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, U.K. and Spain. Globally, attitudes are notably different, with the survey revealing the majority of consumers (56 per cent) firmly reject the idea of exaggerating income on loan applications, viewing it as never acceptable. Just, one in four (24 per cent) consider it permissible in certain circumstances, and only one in seven (15 per cent) view it as a normal practice, the report said. "Many consumers may not see this as harmful behaviour, but it's important to understand that when applying for financial products, applicants typically certify that the information they provide is accurate," Sharma said. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/arkade-developers-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/113493854.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/arkade-developers-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/113493854.cms" target="_blank">Arkade Developers IPO allotment – Check allotment status, GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/western-carriers-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/113511375.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/western-carriers-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/113511375.cms" target="_blank">Western Carriers IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/iphone-16-series-allows-users-to-wirelessly-restore-the-firmware-using-an-iphone-or-ipad/articleshow/113455048.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/iphone-16-series-allows-users-to-wirelessly-restore-the-firmware-using-an-iphone-or-ipad/articleshow/113455048.cms" target="_blank">iPhone 16 series allows users to wirelessly restore the firmware using an iPhone or iPad</a>

Three out of 5 consumers think it's normal to exaggerate income on loan applications: Survey

Amid questions on the depleting <keyword id="20776807" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="loan-to-deposit-ratio" source="keywords">loan-to-deposit ratio</keyword> in <keyword id="19895091" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-banks" source="keywords">Indian banks</keyword>, a recent report by <keyword id="19896146" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Motilal-Oswal" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Motilal Oswal" meta.hostid="269" meta.entityid="Motilal Oswal">Motilal Oswal</keyword> suggests that the loan-to-deposit (LD) ratio is likely to subside on its own in the coming months. The debate on loan-to-deposit ratio (LD), particularly concerning sluggish <keyword id="19998084" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="deposit-growth" source="keywords">deposit growth</keyword> and potential risks to <keyword id="20089808" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="financial-stability" source="keywords">financial stability</keyword> is raised by even the finance minister and the <keyword id="20151998" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RBI-governor" source="keywords">RBI governor</keyword>. However, the report notes that on closer examination, the situation may not be as alarming as it seems. As of 9th August, 2024 the Indian <keyword id="19964544" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="banking-sector" source="keywords">banking sector</keyword>'s loan-to-deposit (LD) ratio stood at 77.2 %, which is slightly below its recent peak of 78.2 % on 22nd March 2024, and its all-time high of 78.8 % in September 2013. The report stated that typically a rising LD ratio is indicative of a tightness in the banking sector, potentially indicating overheating. A lower LD indicates that the bank is aggressive in its credit disbursement practises, which could be risky. It highlighted that an analysis of the sector's transactions with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF), along with recent trends in the weighted average call rate (WACR), suggests that the current rise in the LD ratio does not indicate tightness, which is why there is no immediate cause of concern. In fact, the report added that the concern over weak deposit growth may be overstated. Historical data show that bank deposits grew at an average rate of 9.5 % during the pre-COVID period (January 2015 to February 2020) and 10.4 % in the post-COVID period (March 2020 to August 2024). Earlier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also urged state-run banks to enhance deposit mobilization through attractive offers and focusing on Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Loan-to-deposit ratio pegs the total deposits received by the bank against the loans it has offered. It helps in understanding how liquid the bank is. The loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) is a financial metric that compares a bank's total loans to its total deposits. It's used to assess a bank's liquidity and credit risk, and to inform lending and deposit-taking decisions The report said while the exact measures are unclear, the deposit growth could potentially be increased by making other asset classes less attractive through taxation or interest rates, or by boosting fiscal spending to increase net credit to the government. In its forecast, the report noted that private banks will witness a moderation in their <keyword id="19998083" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="credit-growth" source="keywords">credit growth</keyword>, while public sector banks will maintain a healthy credit growth rate. "Our analysis suggests that deposit growth could be raised by either making other asset classes unattractive (through taxation and/or interest rate) or increasing the growth in net credit to the government by pushing fiscal spending higher" the report added. Alternatively, policymakers might consider curtailing loan growth to lower the LD ratio. However, this could slow deposit growth, particularly if corporate credit growth remains weak. Encouraging savers to shift investments from other assets to bank deposits could also be an option, but this carries risks of overreach and potential damage to economic confidence. Das had also flagged the excessive growth, or froth developing in the personal loan space. Notably, while credit growth in unsecured personal loans like credit cards continues to decline, it remains elevated at 23.3% as of June 2024. However, this is a significant reduction from 34.2% witnessed in November 2023. As fiscal spending increases, bank credit to the government is likely to grow, which should elevate deposits and broad money supply. The report said "However, the extent of foreign capital inflows and the RBI's policy for managing these inflows remain uncertain". Last month, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das had also addressed this issue in the 50th meeting of MPC (Monetary Policy Committee). Per him, deposit mobilisation has been lagging credit growth for some time now. This may potentially expose the system to structural liquidity issues. "While there could be a debate regarding ‘deposits funding loans’ vis-à-vis ‘loans funding deposits’, the current regulatory concern stems from the fact that there could be structural changes happening which banks need to recognise and, accordingly, devise their strategies. Households and consumers who traditionally leaned on banks for parking or investing their savings are increasingly turning to capital markets and other financial intermediaries", Das said. Per him, while bank deposits continue to remain dominant as a percentage of financial assets owned by households, their share has been declining consistently, since households are now increasingly allocating their savings to mutual funds, insurance funds, pension funds and other avenues.

Loan-to-deposit ratio will subside on its own in coming months, notes Motilal Oswal report

<div type="image" title="Data from RBI suggests that the outstanding amount on gold loans has swelled from Rs 85,009 crore in September 2022 to Rs 1,47,081 crore in September 2024." msid="115250619" hostid="261" sizebytes="118350" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Data from RBI suggests that the outstanding amount on gold loans has swelled from Rs 85,009 crore in September 2022 to Rs 1,47,081 crore in September 2024.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Ye le beta, humare khaandani sone ke gehne. Ise girvi rakhva de, shayad kuch paise aa jaye ghar main.” How many times have we seen similar dialogues repeat itself in Bollywood films of the 70s and 80s—abject poverty and a frail-looking old mother pleading to her son to pawn the family’s heirloom <keyword id="18712" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gold" source="Orion">gold</keyword> ornaments to a jeweller, all to get a few bucks? Well, if you’d ask that son in 2024, he’d rather hit the loan button on his <keyword id="19977340" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="demat" source="keywords">Demat</keyword> account than pawn his mother’s gold jewellery. Given how Indians are rapidly resorting to taking loans against their investments in shares and mutual funds, these might as well be a cherished family heirloom in today’s time. Fair warning though; it's not as if gold and loans against it are going down in India’s lending scene. It's very much the opposite, shining brighter than ever! The secured loan category is having its time in the spotlight, and people are certainly looking beyond land and property to get their hands on some extra monies! But what is funding the steep rise behind these loans? And are they as failsafe and secure as they’re made out to be? We decode for you in this week’s Simply Put. <h2>The great Indian pawning party</h2>Pawning one’s gold has been, by far, the OG Indian financial move to get a loan. That continues well into 2024, and apparently, more so when India decides to wed and celebrate! Data from <keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rbi" source="keywords">RBI</keyword> suggests that the outstanding amount on gold loans has swelled from Rs 85,009 crore in September 2022 to Rs 1,47,081 crore in September 2024. It looks like Gold took the motto of rise and shine too seriously! Table 1: Growth in gold loans <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Year </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Amount (In Rs crore) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">85,009 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">March 2023 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">89,370 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2023 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">97,426 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">March 2024 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,02,562 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2024 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,47,081 </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Source: RBI data While the world continues to be riled up in multiple geopolitical crises in 2024, gold has been making merry of these tough times. Thus far this year, domestic gold prices have grown by 23%, outperforming benchmark indices like Nifty and Sensex by a mile, which have gone up by 9.85% and 8.86%, respectively. The growth in gold loan disbursal rates month on month this year could also put Nifty and Sensex’s growth to shame. In just September 2024, gold loans grew an astounding 51%, up from 40.9% in August, 30.5% in June, and just 14.8% in March. <h2>Hey, wait up for me, says <keyword id="23953567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="las" source="keywords">LAS</keyword></h2>In lockstep with the elder, gold loan sibling, advances against shares and bonds have also been inching up since 2022. Data from RBI (Reserve Bank of India) notes that as of September 2022, the outstanding quantum of loans that were taken against shares (LAS) and bonds stood at Rs 7,397.94 crores. This inched up to Rs 7,764 crore in September 2023. Come 2024, and it looked like this was LAS’ time to shine. Loans swiftly skyrocketed, with outstanding loans in this category going up from Rs 8,492 crore in March 2022 to a staggering Rs 9,546 crore at the end of September 2024. Naturally, the smoke of LAS has its fire in the record inflows that Indians are pouring into the stock market and mutual funds month on month. Per AMFI (<keyword id="20090034" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="association-of-mutual-funds" source="keywords">Association of Mutual Funds</keyword> in India), the net AUM (assets under management) of India’s mutual fund industry grew to Rs 67,25,614.61 crores in October 2024, up from Rs 67,09,259.24 crores in September 2024. Even the number of retail mutual fund folios, which include equity, hybrid, and solution-oriented mutual funds, burgeoned to 17,23,52,296 in October, as compared to 16,81,61,366 in September. The same goes for stock investments in India, where the number of new demat accounts that are added every month just simply refuses to climb down. As of last month, total demat accounts in the country stood at 17.9 crore, which is more than the entire population of full-fledged nations like Japan (12.45 crore), Russia (14.38 crore), and Bangladesh (17.3 crore). In fact, since February this year, the monthly growth of LAS has been hitting double digits. From 11.3% in March to 21.6% in May to 26.8% in August, growth in LAS has been exceptional, hitting 22.9% in September this year. For context, monthly growth in the LAS segment was at a mere 5% in September 2023. <h2>What's driving the growth?</h2>It's a win-win for both the bank and the customer. Customers love them because LAS is available at a lower interest rate compared to unsecured personal loans. You can get a loan at an interest rate of anywhere between 9 and 12% by pledging your gold, MF units, or shares. Compare this to over 10-28% rates, which is the range where unsecured personal loans charge interest. Banks love <keyword id="827883" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="secured-loans" source="Orion">secured loans</keyword> since they are well-secured. In case you default on paying back, the bank can sell off your gold, shares, or mutual fund units to recover the amount. This takes a lot of stress off the banks, which are already dealing with secured loans’ riskier sibling-unsecured lending. High NPAs (non-performing assets) and non-payments in the unsecured borrowing space have already put RBI on red alert, which is why the apex bank is tightening the screws on unsecured lending, which was well on its way to becoming a ticking time bomb. As a result, credit growth has moderated to 12.8% YoY in October, as against the 19.3% rise recorded in the year-ago period. Yet it's not like the banks won't feel the heat. Analysts at Nomura note that personal loan delinquencies in India that have been overdue by over 90 days rose to 5.1% in the last financial year, as opposed to just 3.9% in the year prior. <h2>How does it work?</h2>Both these loans work on a similar principle: Your loan amount is equal to a certain percentage of the actual market value of your asset. This is known as the <keyword id="20051485" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ltv" source="keywords">LTV</keyword> (loan-to-value ratio). In the case of gold and debt mutual funds, RBI mandates that this LTV be about 75-80%. So, for every Rs 100 of gold or debt mutual fund unit you pledge, your maximum loan amount cannot exceed Rs 80. If you pledge gold, which has a market value of Rs 10 lakh, you can take a loan of up to Rs 8,00,000. In the case of shares and mutual fund units, this limit is set at 50%. So, your shares worth Rs 5,00,000 can only get you a loan worth Rs 2,50,000. But the bright side? You can continue earning returns on your investments and pay interest only on the amount you use, since this loan works as an overdraft facility. <h2>Super safe, you say?</h2>Interest rates on both of these loans are very much dependent on the market value of the asset, which wildly fluctuates on a day-to-day basis. So, in case the value of your asset falls, you’ll have to keep a margin or more of the same asset in order to continue with the loan and maintain the LTV balance. Failure to do so could mean the bank can even sell off your asset. Says financial planner Nema Chaya Buch. “Yes, LAS offers easy availability of funds since these loans come with a lower interest rate as compared to personal loans. Also, you continue to earn average returns of 10–13% on your equity investments. But the downside is, in case of emergency, those pledged securities cannot be sold. Also, if the equity market goes down, then the bank may ask for additional collateral. Raghvendra Nath, MD, Ladderup Wealth Management notes that taking a LAS is best when the value of your securities has appreciated significantly. “This allows you to maximize the loan amount based on your collateral while also addressing financial needs without having to liquidate your investment portfolio. However, there are notable disadvantages to consider. The market risk is significant; a substantial decline in market value could lead to margin calls, which may incur fees and charges if there are delays or prepayments, ultimately increasing the effective cost of borrowing. Furthermore, failure to make timely payments could result in the loss of your assets.”. Umesh Mohanan, ED &amp; CEO, of Indel Money, cautions that one should have a sufficient quantity of gold to get the loan amount one wants. "According to the current RBI rules, the loan applicant/borrower can draw up to 75% of the total market value of the collateral/gold jewellery. So, always carry a sufficient quantity of gold based on one’s loan requirement. “The most important thing is that the valuation of the gold depends on the purity of the gold. If the borrower pledges gold with higher purity, such as 24 carats or 22 carats, he will get the maximum loan amount," he adds.

Simply Put: Secured Loans 2.0 — why more and more Indians are turning to gold, shares and mutual funds to get loans

Why 1 in 2 Indians reject bank applications: FICO survey insights

<ul class="summary-list"><li>21-year-old Skylar Griffin has four credit cards, including and AmEx Gold and Platinum.</li><li>She got her first credit card as a freshman to build up her credit score and kept a strict budget.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Skylar Griffin, a 21-year-old college student in Georgia. Griffin financial claims have been verified with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.When I was a child, my mom often shared financial advice. She told us never to cosign for someone's loan and don't buy anything unless we could buy it twice.On several occasions, she advised us kids never to get a credit card unless we were responsible enough to pay it off each month.She didn't want us to struggle financially like she did as a single parent.In high school, I started watching YouTube videos about finances. I saw financial struggles firsthand, and I didn't want to be in that position as an adult. The videos taught me I'd need to build up my credit score to buy a car or a house or if I might need a loan.<h2 id="102ef261-a63c-412a-8936-6e2d5bc894d4">I got my first credit card before going to college</h2>In July 2021, I was preparing to study business management at Columbus State University in the fall. Without my mom's knowledge, I ordered a Bank of America student card. It was a Visa card with no annual fees. My mom wasn't happy. I reassured her I'd done my research and could handle the responsibility.During college, I worked at a call center during the school year, paid internships in the summer, and received refund checks because my scholarship was more than school costs. I also earned a bit of money doing social media content.My first card had a limit of $500. I would buy little things here and there, making sure I had enough in my checking or savings account to pay it off each month. I'd marked all the due dates in my calendar, and I was never late for a credit card payment. There were temptations to buy new clothes or tech, but I always fought it.<h2 id="fc7cfef9-313f-436d-be60-a1a46519f707">Getting an AmEx for the travel points</h2>I kept using the Bank of America card throughout my freshman and sophomore years of college, but in April 2023, I decided to take out an Amex Gold card as well.I'd heard about travel credit cards through watching financial advice videos online. If I used this card for buying groceries or dining out, my two main expenses in college, I would get four times the points to use on travel. Although I wasn't traveling much, I planned to travel. At the time, the card had a $250 annual fee, which was worth it for the points I felt.I only used my card for things I needed or had saved for. I never bought things just to earn points.In March 2024, I took a big leap and opened an Amex Platinum credit card. It comes with a high price tag — a $695 annual fee — but I thought the benefits outweighed the price. Because it was another Amex card, all of my points were added to the points earned from the Amex Gold.I only use this card for booking flights and hotels because this is what I get the highest points for. With the card, I get five times the points when booking flights and hotels, a $200 yearly airline credit, and a $200 yearly hotel credit.When I stay at Marriott or Hilton, I get 'high status' and often get my room upgraded. But my favourite perk is the CLEAR Plus membership which gets me through TSA quicker at the airport.I knew I was planning some big trips in 2024 to Japan and New York, and then a cruise to the Bahamas, so planned to make all my travel purchases on the Platinum. Since getting an Amex, I've been able to fly to Japan, New York, and Miami for free in 2024.With this card, I accessed airport lounges on the long trip to Japan and was part of the President's Circle with Hertz Car Rentals, so I was guaranteed a car upgrade when I rented a car to get around the country.<h2 id="ec2f29ef-d145-470e-972f-0e160d4e0cd5">I took out a fourth credit card so I could earn points for other purchases</h2>In June 2024, I decided to take out another Amex card — the Amex Blue Business Plus. This card means I can earn points paying for things like gas, that don't earn me points on my other cards.There's no annual fee, and I could only take it out because I'm considered a sole proprietor. I own a Mercari shop where I resell vintage clothes I find at flea markets.I only use my Bank of America card when Amex isn't accepted. I never use a debit card unless I'm pulling cash out of the bank.Even though I am confident and comfortable using credit cards, I still don't spend anything that isn't in my checking or savings account. I never base a purchase on the money that I'm expecting in my account, because you never know how finances could change.I put all my due dates in my calendar and aim to pay each of them off earlier than required. Sometimes, I feel the urge to overspend. But then I remember the interest rates on my cards, and I snap back to reality. Paying high interest because I can't afford to pay my bill in full is not worth the momentary satisfaction of shopping.In addition to all the benefits I've received when traveling, my credit cards helped me raise my credit score to 755.<h2 id="1abacec9-c073-4582-ac5e-15c3908118fc">I never stop learning about finance</h2>I think college students should consider getting a student credit card with no fee. They have low limits and can help start building a credit score. However, if you're impulsive or have poor spending habits, I wouldn't recommend it.My mom now says she's proud of how I manage my finances. I've always found personal finance interesting and the concepts easy to understand, but it takes dedication to stay on track financially. I never stop learning to make sure I'm doing what's best for my financial future.

I'm a college student who pays nearly $1,000 in annual fees for 4 credit cards. It's worth it for good credit and travel perks.

<div type="image" title="The RBI has cracked the regulatory whip on NBFCs and banks, who&amp;#39;ve been pushing microfinance and unsecured loans aggressively to grow their loan books." agency="ANI" msid="114778648" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The RBI has cracked the regulatory whip on NBFCs and banks, who&amp;#39;ve been pushing microfinance and unsecured loans aggressively to grow their loan books.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Imagine this. You have a younger sibling you’re mighty envious of. And why not? Unlike you, they seem to enjoy all the freedom and money in the world. They party like there’s no tomorrow, and here you are, stuck in a boring, ultra-disciplined but responsible routine that feels completely devoid of any independence, and mostly, funds. But of late, things are changing. This sibling is in massive trouble and just cannot escape the parent’s wrath anymore. Long story short, the party is over, and it is time to go back home. The rising defaults on this sibling’s part have now begun pulling the entire house down, thereby attracting the regulator’s ire. <h2>The Wild West of <keyword id="113684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microfinance" source="Orion">microfinance</keyword> and unsecured loans</h2>It's hard to ignore the issues with microfinance and unsecured loans in India. Many saw them as a small gamble and ignored the rising defaults much like the younger siblings’ tantrums, and now they find themselves in hot waters. The skyrocketing instances of non-payments aren't a micro-issue anymore and are threatening the stability of the entire banking system. In the quarter ended September 30, 2024, 5 of India’s 8 largest private sector <keyword id="19934118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="banks" source="keywords">banks</keyword> reported a steep rise in their bad loan book, mostly thanks to microfinance loans. Some banks, in a bid to strengthen their fortress against these <keyword id="142154" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bad-loans" source="Orion">bad loans</keyword>, have significantly upped their provisions. For instance, IndusInd Bank set aside Rs 525 crore during July and September 2024 to battle the menace of defaults on microfinance loans, which make up about 9% of its total loan book. See, banks rely heavily on their interest income, which they earn from advancing loans. Any loan where the borrower has not paid interest to the bank or defaulted for 90 days or more becomes bad, i.e. an NPA, or non-performing asset for the bank. And who likes things going bad? Simply put, there has been a steep rise in three areas, much to the dislike of banks and MFIs (micro-finance institutions). But hey, it's mostly their doing! <ol><li>GNPA ratio (gross net performing assets): The quantum of non-performing assets a bank has in proportion to its total assets.</li><li>Provision: The amount banks set aside to take care of such NPAs.</li><li>Slippage ratio: The rate at which good girls go bad, or the speed at which good loans turn into NPAs</li></ol>But how are these plaguing the Indian banking sector? And what does the road ahead look like? We decode it for you. <h2> Microfinance: A not-so-micro-menace</h2>Microfinance loans were initially brought forth for low-income households and individuals i.e. for those who might not generally have access to traditional ways of credit, like bank loans and more. They don’t require collateral or an asset to be pledged in lieu of the loan, making it a tad bit easier for borrowers. As of June 2024, the amount of outstanding loans in the microfinance industry stood at a staggering Rs 4,20,256 crore. Of this, NBFC-MFIs accounted for 40% and banks made for 33% of these. In 2022, RBI, in a bid to inspire some competition in this space, did something radical-they did away with the ceiling on how much interest MFIs could charge their customers. Previously, MFIs could add up to 12% to their cost of acquiring funds to determine the final interest rate chargeable to the consumer. So, assuming that Bank A incurs a 5% cost to acquire funds for further loaning, A could charge up to 17% interest from the end consumer. So, interest rates were in the hands of MFIs, and boy, did they have a gala time with it. Instead of spurring some healthy competition, as RBI expected, MFIs and banks went rogue and all guns blazing, competing for the title of “Who will charge the highest interest?” Recently, RBI banned 4 microfinance institutions (MFIs), namely Asirvad Micro Finance Limited, Arohan Financial Services Limited, DMI Finance Private Limited, and <keyword id="20117932" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="navi-finserv" source="keywords">Navi Finserv</keyword> from disbursing loans effective October 21, 2024. Why? Because they were charging 14% extra interest over their original cost of funds. To maintain their loan books (and pockets), banks and NBFCs resorted to shady practices like netting off loans, which RBI has now advised MFIs against. Here, lenders allow borrowers to settle a previous outstanding loan by issuing them a new loan! As crazy as it sounds, it helped banks to report less of their total assets as NPAs, since the new credit would cover pending instalments of the borrower’s previous loan. Then there was the issue of borrowers overleveraging, i.e. taking multiple loans using different IDs from various lenders and then failing to honour any of them. The consequence? Banks and NBFCs end up with massive NPAs. Data from credit bureaus suggests that over the last quarter, there was a 17.2% rise in the number of borrowers who had 5 or more active loans at the same time. <h2>Growth &gt; Caution</h2>It's an age-old tale unfolding yet again in India’s banking sector- Icarus flew too close to the sun and eventually, fell to its death. Between April and June 2024, NBFCs microfinance portfolio jumped by 2.7%. If you see this in terms of loan sources, microfinance loans issued by banks grew by 11.2% in Q1FY25. But the same portfolio in NBFCs swelled by almost double-23.9%. While most of these loans had an average ticket size between Rs 30,000-50,000, there was a sharp spike in the number of loans that had a ticket size of Rs 80,000 or more. Data suggests that as of March 2024, more than 12% of all microfinance borrowers had over 4 or more active loans. In dating parlance, this is a classic case of borrowers going polyamorous, minus the honesty and transparency. Not the best of situations, you'd agree! <h2>Will banks and NBFCs stand up to this stress?</h2>If their results for Q2FY25 are to be believed, NBFCs are not handling the pressure all that well. Or even slightly well. Only a few banks like Bank of Baroda (BoB), ICICI, and Indian Bank were up for the battle, even witnessing a decline in their loan delinquencies. Some others, like IndusInd Bank, saw their stock dip by a massive 16.2% over the last 5 days. Its slippages in the previous quarter burgeoned from Rs 15.3 billion in Q1FY25 to Rs 17.9 billion in Q2. As a result, the bank pushed a staggeringly high amount of money to create an NPA cushion for itself. While its management has highlighted its preference for secured lending, that was hardly reflected in its actions during the quarter, where growth in unsecured personal loans remained exceptionally high at over 7% on a QoQ basis. Turns out, only 44% of customers in IndusInd Banks’ microfinance loan portfolio were exclusive to it. The rest 47% were, you guessed it right-polyamorous! 27% had borrowed from another lender as well, apart from IndusInd Bank, while 20% were those who had outstanding loans with two other lenders, apart from IndusInd Bank. IndusInd Bank’s credit card segment did not miss the NPA bus and accounted for 7-8% of its GNPAs. Canara Bank’s total slippages during the previous quarter jumped to Rs 11.1 billion, up by 24.7% QoQ, and making up for 3.6% of its total loans. As for Bandhan Bank, its gross NPA for Q2FY25 inched up on a QoQ basis, up from 4.23% in Q1, to 4.68% in the second quarter. IDFC Bank’s heavy provisioning for its NPAs marred its profits significantly, causing its PAT (profit after tax) to dip by 73% on a YoY basis. Data from ICRA Analytics suggest that the AUM (asset under management) growth in microfinance loans and unsecured (personal and business) loans by the NBFCs will moderate to 10-12% and 19-21%, respectively, in FY2025 compared to 30% and 38%, in FY2024. Says A M Karthik, Senior Vice President &amp; Co-Group Head, Financial Sector Ratings, ICRA, “As bank funds constitute a larger share in the overall funding of NBFCs, a slower credit flow from banks to the NBFCs will compress their AUM growth. The NBFCs in unsecured and digital lending businesses shall face a higher squeeze in funding compared to others, and the unsecured lending space will continue to be a source of stress in the near term.” There has been uninhibited growth in <keyword id="6051027" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unsecured-loan" source="Orion">unsecured loan</keyword>s, apart from just the microfinance segment. For instance, Axis Bank’s gross slippages jumped by Rs 4,443 crore, largely thanks to its unsecured business. The same is the case with Yes Bank, which saw 35–40% of its retail slippages emerging from the unsecured loan portfolio. <keyword id="6376194" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kotak-mahindra" source="Orion">Kotak Mahindra</keyword> Bank was also quick to follow Yes Bank’s suit, with around 35%-40% of its slippages coming from credit cards. <h2>How is the road ahead?</h2>While RBI has just cracked its whip and served a warning at the moment, experts at Morgan Stanley believe that more changes (read regulatory lashes) are underway. Moreover, with both festive and wedding seasons underway in our country, unsecured lending might pick up momentum, much to the disdain of the calibrated approach banks have been taking towards it so far. But if the situation doesn't improve, RBI will not waste any time in becoming the typical tyrannical <keyword id="19897820" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bollywood" source="keywords">Bollywood</keyword> headmaster who runs his dominion with an iron fist. However, that's a story for another day. Do you have a topic in mind you'd want a simpler explanation for, or insights or personal experience to share on personal finance and more? Contact us at businessinsider@timesinternet.in.

Simply Put: Is the lending party over? The dangerous tango of Indian banks with microfinance and unsecured loans

Mumbai, The Reserve Bank on Thursday tightened norms for unsecured personal loans for banks and non-banking financial companies. The revised norms wherein risk weights have been increased by 25 percentage points will not be applicable on certain consumer loans, including housing, education, and vehicle loans. Besides, the norms will not be applicable on loans secured by gold and gold jewellery. These loans will continue to attract 100 per cent risk weight. Higher risk weight implies that banks have to keep aside more money as buffer when it comes to unsecured personal loans. In simple words, a higher risk weight restricts banks' lending capacity. Recently, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had flagged the high growth in certain components of consumer credit and advised banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to strengthen their internal surveillance mechanisms, address the build-up of risks and institute suitable safeguards, in their own interest. The high growth seen in consumer credit and increasing dependency of NBFCs on bank borrowings were also highlighted by the governor during the interactions with MD/CEOs of major banks and large NBFCs in July and August, respectively. "On a review, it has been decided to increase the risk weights in respect of consumer credit exposure of commercial banks (outstanding as well as new), including personal loans, but excluding housing loans, education loans, vehicle loans and loans secured by gold and gold jewellery, by 25 percentage points to 125 per cent," the RBI said in a circular. The central bank has also increased the risk weights on credit receivables by 25 percentage points to 150 per cent and 125 per cent for banks and NBFCs, respectively.

RBI tightens norms on personal loans for banks, NBFCs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>My husband and I were high school sweethearts but we married when we were 25.</li><li>Our finances weren't great, and we realized we couldn't pay for a wedding.</li></ul>My now-husband, Adam, and I are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/married-high-school-sweetheart-relationship-stereotypes-2024-9">high school sweethearts</a>, so although we got married young — we were both 25 — it didn't feel like we were getting married early.While our love for each other may not have been teenage love, our view on finances definitely was. At the time of our engagement, I was in graduate school in Philadelphia, living <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/student-loan-forgiveness-blocked-biden-debt-cancellation-education-department-relief-2024-10">on student loans</a>, and Adam was in his first real job, making very little.We lived as modestly as you can in a big city, squeezing together in a 498-square-foot apartment. The day Adam got down on one knee, the last thing we were thinking about was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/average-wedding-cost-in-biggest-metro-areas-of-us-2023-2">how much a wedding would cost</a>.<h2 id="dde67029-92ea-49e8-9239-9f2d6444372f">We decided to take out a loan to pay for the wedding</h2>As we were touring our fifth or sixth wedding venue, we realized that if we wanted a wedding, we would have to do it on our own. At this point, I already had the vision in my head: tons of greenery ($), a top photographer ($$), and an industrial all-inclusive venue with a per-person price ($$$).We made shortcuts where we could — we <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/broke-wedding-etiquette-invited-b-list-guests-last-minute-2021-10">cut the guest list down</a> to under 100 people, we nixed the highly acclaimed videographer for a college student with a nice video camera, and we had a friend marry us rather than hiring an officiant. But still, it wasn't enough.As we lay in bed one night, stressing out over how we were going actually to pay for this lavish event we were planning, we made the hard decision to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/couples-debt-funding-instagram-worthy-weddings-2019-6">take out a loan</a>.<h2 id="c421ea5c-5aef-44d0-b8ba-dd274877f7ec">We were able to focus on the fun parts of the wedding</h2>We may have been young, but we were still aware of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/personal-loans/40000-personal-loan">the impact a large loan could have</a>, especially for something like a wedding. It caused a lot of stress, but once the loan came in, we could focus on the fun parts of the wedding and not lose so much sleep over the money aspect. In the moment, it felt right and now, almost a decade later, we don't regret that late-night decision.Our wedding was everything we dreamed it would be. I still look back, and I wouldn't change one thing. It was small and intimate, and the extra money we spent on things like our photographer meant we had memories to last us a lifetime.We sit down and watch our video (the college student ended up doing a pretty decent job) with our two daughters, and we cry every time — and not just because the wedding was beautiful, but because it was the start of our life together and a reminder that we can always figure things out, no matter how hard it seems in the moment. We don't watch the video back and think of all the money we spent, we watch it and think of how far we've come and how despite the struggle, we created something beautiful.<h2 id="86a1dfcf-faa1-42bc-9780-ac4099e71dc4">Finances have been a struggle</h2>Don't get me wrong — since we took that loan out, finances have been a struggle for us. Not just because of the wedding loan, but that, mixed with student loans, having kids, and, of course, the ever-changing economy, we have always had a monetary worry in the back of our minds.But we paid off that wedding loan (yes, it took the whole five years), and we learned that no matter what kind of bind we get into, we will find our way out of it. Finances are a huge thing in a marriage and can even be the reason many people choose to divorce. We are aware that starting our marriage with financial woes may not have been the best choice or something others would choose, but it taught us a huge lesson that no matter what, money would never be something that would come between us.Still, though, I wouldn't recommend taking out a loan for your wedding if you can avoid it. At almost 35, we likely would have made different choices. But our 25-year-old selves knew what we wanted for our big day, and we made it happen together, and that is something we will never regret.

I got married at 25 and took a personal loan of $15,000 to pay for the wedding. I don't regret it.

<keyword id="19895282" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mumbai" source="keywords">Mumbai</keyword>, <keyword id="19945816" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fintech" source="keywords">Fintech</keyword> personal loans have grown steadily in the country and contributed to a third of overall active personal loans in September 2023, registering 62 per cent of sanction volumes in the first half (H1) of the current fiscal year (FY24), a new report said on Wednesday. Fintech loan borrowers are younger, with two-thirds coming from the age bracket of less than 35 years. Fintech personal loans have contributed a vital role in financial inclusion, serving unaddressed market segments by sanctioning over Rs 2 lakh crore since April 2018, according to the report by the <keyword id="20190392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fintech-association" source="keywords">Fintech Association</keyword> for Consumer Empowerment (FACE), an industry body convening digital lenders. "Fintechs, while small in value, are playing a mighty role in furthering financial inclusion. As the digital economy shapes up, fintechs will expand in tandem, playing a pivotal role in customers' access to formal credit - important for their financial health and resilience," said <keyword id="20670247" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sugandh-saxena" source="keywords">Sugandh Saxena</keyword>, CEO of FACE. "The growing economy and digitalisation bring huge opportunities and obligations to the fintechs," <keyword id="19970173" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="saxena" source="keywords">Saxena</keyword> added. The report analysed trends from data of 71 fintech NBFCs from April 2018 to September 2023. Fintech loans consistently increased their share in the personal loan market over the years, doubling their share in sanctions since FY18-19, the findings showed. "In loans outstanding, the share of fintech NBFCs is just 5 per cent of the total personal loans outstanding (as of September 2023) but accounts for over a third of active loan volumes," the data showed. In H1 FY 23-24, fintech loans accounted for 10 per cent of the sanction value but 62 per cent of the sanction volume, catering to sizeable, underserved segments with small-value loans. Fintech loans are climbing in ticket sizes, with nearly half of the sanction value coming from borrowers with ticket sizes more than Rs 50,000, the report mentioned. Fintech loans are moving up in the risk chain and distribution of sanctioned value across credit scores shows that the share of mid-low risk borrowers is increasing, from 36 per cent in FY 18-19 to 59 per cent in H1 FY 23-24. Fintech loan borrowers are younger, with two-thirds coming from the age bracket of less than 35 years, said the report.

Fintech personal loans log 62% of sanction volumes in FY24 first half in India: FACE report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Finance firms and fintech startups are trying to use generative AI to improve search capabilities.</li><li>Search is a complex and challenging technical problem, but AI could make it a lot easier.</li></ul>If data is the new oil, then banks like Goldman Sachs are in good business.For decades, Goldman hoovered up information about the clients it did business with, trades executed, every dollar invested, and each loan financed. Coupled with external data from Bloomberg and Nasdaq, the hope was to supercharge the bank's analytics engine and give its investment bankers, traders, and salespeople an edge.But that fuel is only useful if you can access it.For banks, much of that data got stowed away, usually only to be found if an employee knew exactly what they were looking for and where to find it.That could all change as Goldman Sachs rolls out a generative AI chat interface on its firmwide data platform, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-data-neema-raphael-strategy-ai-2024-3">Chief Data Officer Neema Raphael</a> told Business Insider.Goldman employees can ask a question in plain English, and let the AI do the digging. In answering questions, the tool, called Legend AI Query, could pull information that even its users didn't know existed.The chat interface, combined with the bank's data stockpiles, "gives you this sort of information super intelligence to help the human build a better mental model faster and quicker with more sources," Raphael said.It's the latest development in Wall Street's efforts to crack the code on search.From Goldman Sachs to Blackstone, the biggest finance firms are using generative AI to make better use of their mountains of data. Even though it's been decades since Google introduced the world to effective search to use in everyday life, only recently have financial firms started putting resources behind improving how employees tap their internal data. They're trying to turn the wonky and sometimes impossible task of searching for information into a seamless process that will supercharge employee productivity. Perfecting search, down the line, could lead to more automation and more complex generative AI tools.<h2 id="91254cac-f471-4dd1-8f79-f515cc36e06c">Search is just the beginning</h2>Goldman's peers across the Street have their own search-related initiatives underway. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-generative-ai-tool-private-bank-2024-5">JPMorgan's private bank AI copilot</a> helps advisors track down information in real-time. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-artificial-intelligence-tool-banker-assist-2023-6">Bank of America's Banker Assist</a> aggregates internal and third-party info to give employees insights. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-ai-chatgpt-used-nearly-all-wealth-management-teams-2024-4">Morgan Stanley's AIMS</a> helps advisors search the bank's internal content.While enabling employees to quickly get answers hidden in mountains of data is going to supercharge worker productivity, there's likely an even bigger ambition behind these efforts.Pulling the right information and having some contextual understanding is the first step in tapping into more complex use cases, Keri Smith told BI. Smith helps financial firms strategize and execute on their data and generative AI initiatives at Accenture."The power of enterprise search lies in its ability to save time so that humans can innovate and interact," Jeff McMillan, Morgan Stanley's head of firmwide AI, told BI. "Further, it lowers the barriers for employees to access robust intellectual capital quickly from the firm's top experts, essentially arming them with knowledge firepower for meetings and discussions," he added.A new class of fintechs is starting to emerge to sell Wall Street on cutting out simple, but time-consuming tasks, like perfecting company logos on an investment banking deck and prepping execs ahead of client meetings.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rogo-pitch-deck-seed-fintech-ai-2024-2">Rogo is one such startup</a> that offers a junior-banker level assistant. It has already onboarded some-25 Wall Street firms onto its generative AI platform."Firms are realizing the value of enterprise search is not just a typical search engine, but for all the downstream applications you're going to be able to build on top of it," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/49-most-promising-fintech-startups-according-top-vc-investors-2024#rogo-41">Rogo cofounder and CEO Gabe Stengel</a> told BI.Meanwhile, two Stanford grads came together <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-startup-mako-building-ai-associate-private-equity-2024-9">to build Mako</a>, a generative AI associate for the private-equity industry. The startup, which aims to help employees search institutional data, recently raised $1.55 million <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-vinod-khosla-fixing-ai-image-2024-10">from the same VC</a> that was an early backer in OpenAI.<h2 id="f7dad226-280b-49d8-88e7-37ccd2c590d1">Why search is hard</h2>There's a reason Google is the go-to search engine for the internet."It's actually just fundamentally a difficult problem to suck out and then rank what might be useful" to a specific user, Raphael said of search. Not only is search a hard computer-science problem, but personalizing relevance and dealing with account permissions (who is authorized to see given data) is no easy feat, he added.The latter is something Blackstone the majority of 10 months figuring out when it <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstone-employee-productivity-generative-ai-2024-8">recently built its own internal AI-powered search engine</a>.Add in the fact that Wall Street lingo is complex and nuanced — words like hedge, ticker, and options have completely different meanings outside a financial context — and it presents another hurdle for financial firms using off-the-shelf products, like OpenAI's ChatGPT.In March, Balyasny Asset Management hired Peter Anderson, a former AI scientist at Google, to help the hedge fund <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hedge-fund-balyasny-analyst-research-generative-ai-2024-8">level up its back-end system that pulls information</a> from millions of documents to answer complex research questions. Familiarizing OpenAI's models to financial jargon meant <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/balyasny-hedge-fund-ai-proactive-analysis-bots-2024-1">Balyasny's internal version of ChatGPT</a> surfaced the most helpful document 60% more frequently than without this training.Still, generative AI is bringing companies one step closer to solving for search."People are building knowledge bases, they're letting this genAI crawl and to be able to either search or summarize, I think this is maybe a stepping stone to crack the problem," Raphael said.<h2 id="39d3cc34-70e0-45d3-9215-67cd39660078">Where Goldman is throwing its generative-AI weight</h2>Legend AI Query is just the beginning for Goldman Sachs.The search tool is the bank's second such generative AI tool, the first being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-marco-argenti-generative-ai-use-cases-tech-banking-2023-3">a generative AI developer co-pilot</a> that helps software engineers code more efficiently. The effort has resulted in a roughly 20% increase in efficiency depending on the use case.At the same time that Goldman's AI/ML engineers were busy trying to crack the code on search, they also built another generative AI tool that aims to help data engineers — the developers who handle the bank's data and make sure it is vetted, organized, and structured — do their jobs better. Legend Copilot is another tool the bank launched this month, which is designed to make it easier to get more data onto Legend and manage it in a methodical way.Raphael said he is focused on "really helping both engineers and non-engineers find and discover the right data for their use case."

You Searched For "personal loans" and got 12 results

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PTI

Loan sanctioning has gone digital, but recovery still needs a 'feet on the street' approach, says RBI Deputy Governor

ANI

Three out of 5 consumers think it's normal to exaggerate income on loan applications: Survey

PTI

Loan-to-deposit ratio will subside on its own in coming months, notes Motilal Oswal report

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Simply Put: Secured Loans 2.0 — why more and more Indians are turning to gold, shares and mutual funds to get loans

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Why 1 in 2 Indians reject bank applications: FICO survey insights

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I'm a college student who pays nearly $1,000 in annual fees for 4 credit cards. It's worth it for good credit and travel perks.

Lauren Crosby Medlicott

Simply Put: Is the lending party over? The dangerous tango of Indian banks with microfinance and unsecured loans

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RBI tightens norms on personal loans for banks, NBFCs

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I got married at 25 and took a personal loan of $15,000 to pay for the wedding. I don't regret it.

Jessica Tzikas

Fintech personal loans log 62% of sanction volumes in FY24 first half in India: FACE report

IANS

Wall Street is trying to make AI search sexy

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