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.
He called Mr. Sharma. "Why am I paying 9% when new customers get 6.9%?" icici bank home loan interest rate
But there was a twist. Unlike the old MCLR days, ICICI offered a . In October 2023, Sunil walked into the bank again. He asked for the one product that protects you from rising rates: The Fixed Rate (without reset). 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
Sunil did the math. He bet that rates would fall soon. He stayed on the floating rate. Today, Sunil and Priya are sitting in their finished living room. The plaster is dry. The kids are playing.
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 .
Russia invaded Ukraine. Inflation soared. The RBI started hiking the Repo Rate aggressively. From 4% to 4.40%... to 5.15%... to 6.50% within 18 months.