Nri Banking Options

NRI BANKING SERVICES - BANKS IN INDIA Banking in India has changed considerably in the past decade. Just about every international bank has a presence now in India. I remember the time in India when customers who went to cash a cheque at their local banks, had to first line up to present the cheque to a bank teller and were then given a token to take to a different teller to get their cash. Fortunately things have changed for the better now. Indian banks are now almost at par with foreign banks when it comes to service. Non resident Indians living abroad often open accounts with Indian banks such as The State Bank of India and ICICI bank that have set up foreign branches abroad to attract NRIs. ICICI bank vigorously advertises to attract non resident Indians to get their accounts. The reality is that while some banks will go all out and outspend each other to get customers they don't seem to be putting enough thought into customer service. Just check the Internet and Nri's seem to have quite a few complaints about bank customer service. The competition from foreign banks within India though has resulted in improvements for Indians in the banking sector. Banks in India now offer services to their customers that are not only comparable to western banks but also some services that are not offered in the west, such as home banking. Home banking facility is one special customer service that banks in India offer. My Axis bank account for instance allows me to telephone my bank in India when I want to cash a personal cheque while I am in India. During my recent visit to India I used this home banking facility and called the bank on three different occasions to cash my personal cheque. Once the bank gets a call for home banking from a customer they send the cash to your residence, you accept the cash and hand over your personal cheque to the bank employee. On the three different occasions that I used this procedure to cash a cheque, a bank employee was at my door within an average of 20 minutes. Of course this would depend on the distance you are located from the branch. Axis bank calls this priority banking. I'm sure many other banks offer this kind of service. Some Indian banks now have also opened branches overseas and while the majority of their overseas customers probably tend to be Non Resident Indians these banks are doing well as they offer attractive rates and services to the thousands of NRIs living abroad. When it comes to selecting a bank to do business with. Nri's have lots of choices. Here is some information that may help you make an informed decision on selecting a bank in India. Do remember that when choosing a bank don't let a high interest rate be the only criteria in choosing a particular bank. In India, banks running into financial problems is not uncommon. Last year 28 financial banking institutions ran into trouble. Check bank account safety page for a list of failed institutions. Update: During my visit to India in February 2011, I was informed that Axis bank had discontinued the service of sending money to customers at their residence. Types of banks in India The types of banks in India are: • Public Sector Banks • Private Sector Banks • Co operative Banks • Foreign Banks. List of Public Sector Banks in India • Allahabad Bank • Andhra Bank • Bank of Baroda • Bank of India • Bank of Maharashtra • Canara Bank • Central Bank of India • Corporation Bank • Dena Bank • Indian Bank • Indian Overseas Bank • Punjab & Sind Bank • Oriental Bank of Commerce • Punjab National Bank • Syndicate Bank • UCO Bank • Union Bank of India • United Bank of India • Vijaya Bank • State Bank of India & its Subsidiaries List of Foreign Banks in India: • AB Bank Ltd. - Bangladesh • The Royal Bank of Scotland N.V. - Netherlands • Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Ltd. - UAE • American Express Banking Corporation - USA • Antwerp Diamond Bank N.V. - Belgium • Bank Internasional Indonesia - Indonesia • Bank of America - USA • Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait BSC - Bahrain • Bank of Ceylon - Sri Lanka • Bank of Nova Scotia - Canada • Barclays Bank Plc. - United Kingdom • BNP Paribas - France • Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank - France • Chinatrust Commercial Bank - Taiwan • Citibank N.A. - USA • DBS Bank Ltd. - Singapore • Deutsche Bank - Germany • HSBC Ltd - Hong Kong

List of Private Banks in India • Bank of Punjab • Bank of Rajasthan • Catholic Syrian Bank • Centurion Bank • City Union Bank • Dhanalakshmi Bank • Development Credit Bank • Federal Bank • HDFC Bank • ICICI Bank • IDBI Bank • IndusInd Bank • ING Vysya Bank • Jammu & Kashmir Bank • Karnataka Bank • Karur Vysya Bank • Laxmi Vilas Bank • South Indian Bank • United Western Bank • Axis Bank (formerly UTI Bank) List of Foreign Banks in India: • J.P. Morgan Chase Bank N.A. - USA • JSC VTB Bank - Russia • Krung Thai Bank Public Co. Ltd - Thailand • Mashreq Bank PSC. - UAE • Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd. - Japan • Oman International Bank SAOG - Oman • Shinhan Bank - South Korea • Societe Generale - France • Sonali Bank Ltd. - Bangladesh • Standard Chartered Bank - United Kingdom • State Bank of Mauritius - Mauritius • The Bank of Tokyo- Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd - Japan • UBS AG - Switzerland • FirstRand Bank Ltd - South Africa • United Overseas Bank Ltd - Singapore • Commonwealth Bank of Australia - Australia • Sberbank - Russia • Credit Suisse A.G - Switzerland • Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. - Australia

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