A) PREAMBLE ⁄ INTRODUCTION
The Fair Practice Code (FPC) has been devised by INDEL MONEY Limited in response to guidelines issued by Reserve Bank of India vide circular DNBS.CC.PD.No.266 / 03.10.01 / 2011-12 dated 26 March 2012 titled “Guidelines on Fair Practices Code for NBFCs”.The FPC will be applicable to all offices of IMPL including the Corporate Office, Regional Offices and Branches.
This fair Practices Code is aimed to provide to all the stake holders, especially customers effective overview of practices followed by the company in respect of financial facilities and services offered by the Company to its customers and aims to enable customers to take informed decisions in respect of the facilities and services offered by the company
B) OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the FPC are as under.
Adopt the best practices in dealings with customers.
Set challenging benchmarks and strive to achieve high operating standards for ensuring customer satisfaction.
Follow transparent, fair, ethical and legally tenable practices while conducting business.
Provide all necessary information and inputs to customers / prospective customers and promote a mutually beneficial long term relationship.
Facilitate a continuously growing base of satisfied customers while scrupulously avoiding acquisition of customers having doubtful credentials or criminal background.
C) DECLARATIONS & COMMITMENTS
The Company undertakes to abide by all applicable laws, regulations and guidelines passed / issued by the Regulators (Reserve Bank of India, SEBI, IRDA etc.) and other competent authorities such as Government, Local Authority etc.
The Company commits itself to full customer satisfaction through efficient, professional and courteous services across all its offices.
The Company shall consistently strive to meet with and improve upon the internally set benchmarks and practices and be ahead of the standards prevalent in the industry.
The Company undertakes not discriminate customers on grounds of religion, caste, gender or language.
The Company will provide clear and full information about its products and services to its customers / prospective customers and will not resort to any misleading or potentially misguiding advertisement or publicity.
The Company undertakes to desist from introducing any products / services having elements of ‘hidden charges’ or lack of transparency.
The Company will communicate in the local language with the customer and in English at the request of the customer
The Company undertakes to take all possible and reasonable measures to secure the safe custody of the security pledged by the customer and to compensate the customer for any accidental, inadvertent or fraudulent loss of the security whilst in the custody of the Company.
The Company undertakes not to take advantage of any unintentional or clerical error made by the customer while transacting business.
The Company is committed to put in place a system for promptly addressing complaints and suggestions of the customers supplemented with a structured Grievance Redressal Mechanism having an escalation matrix.
The Company shall display the FPC on its website and also make available to the Customer, on request, a copy of the FPC on demand.
D) FAIR PRACTICES
(I) LOANS, TERMS & CONDITIONS, INTEREST RATE & CHARGES
The Company shall make available loan application forms in local language to all prospective customers free of cost at the concerned branches mentioning also the supporting documents to be submitted along with. An acknowledgement for receipt of duly completed loan application forms will be given to the customer in all cases. As a matter of policy and customer service loan applications are sanctioned / rejected immediately. Disbursement of the loan and acceptance of security will be carried out nearly simultaneously.
The Company shall disclose all relevant information relating to a loan / product such as eligible loan amount, interest rate, charges, penal/overdue interest, interest calculation methodology, rebate on interest etc. before sanction of the loan to enable the customer / prospective customer to take an informed decision. The Customer / prospective customer will also be provided, on request, the detailed terms and conditions of the loan before sanction.
The Company shall ensure that a loan sanction letter (Pledge Token) is given to the customer containing all the terms and conditions governing the loan facility in the local language or other language understood by the customer. The loan sanction letter (Pledge Token) will also mention the loan amount, loan account number, interest rate, charges, loan processing fees etc. The loan sanction letter (Pledge Token) which will bear the signature of the authorized official of the company will also serve as a receipt for the security (gold) pledged at the branch by the customer.
The Company shall not in the normal course make any changes / modifications in the terms and conditions of the loan, including rate of interest, which could adversely affect the customer financially or otherwise. In abnormal circumstances when such changes / modifications are inevitable, keeping in view the new circumstances, adequate and proper notice shall be given to the customer about any such change/modification.
(II) MARKETING & PROMOTION
The Company shall not deliberately promote a product with any ulterior / selfish motives or contrary to the customer requirements or expectations as disclosed by the customer. The Company will ensure that its personnel engaged in marketing and operations are suitably trained and instructed so as to preclude selling of its products by misrepresentation to the customer / prospective customer.
The Company will not indulge in profiteering by charging usurious rates of interest on loans or take undue advantage of adverse market conditions. The rates of interest will be based on variables such as cost of funds, risk premium, loan scheme, loan per gram, profit margin etc. and shall be in conformity with the Interest Rate policy of the Company and Regulatory Guidelines from time to time. It shall also, by and large, be in tune with industry practices and benchmarks.
Full and updated information regarding loan schemes, rate of interest, loan per gram, charges etc. will be displayed on the website of the Company and also displayed in the branches. Complete or select information will also be made available through various media channels, posters, brochures, notices, displays etc. based on the decisions of the management of the Company from time to time.
(III) RECOVERY OF DUES & DELIVERY OF SECURITY
The Company will not, as a matter of fair dealing, normally recall the loan before the initially agreed tenure except in unanticipated or abnormal circumstances where the Company’s interests are adversely affected e.g. when the security value diminishes substantially, when the quality of gold is not found to be acceptable, due to any regulatory / government directives etc. In all such cases proper and reasonable notice shall be given to the customer recalling the loan before expiry of the normal tenure.
The Company will make all possible soft or persuasive efforts to get the customer to repay the dues without resorting to disposal of the security. The Company does not accept nor will it encourage the use any coercive or hard measures to recover its dues from the customer.
The Company will deliver the security (gold) to the customer immediately upon settlement of the loan in the same condition as was at the time of sanction of the loan. In case of any damage caused to the security (gold) due to mishandling by its employees, the Company shall at its cost get the damage repaired or alternately pay reasonable compensation to the customer on a case to case basis. If the security (gold) has signs of damage thereon, before being taken custody of by the Company at the time of sanction of loan, the fact will be briefly incorporated in the sanction letter (Pledge Token).
The Company shall issue a signed and, normally, a system generated receipt for all cash payments made by the customer immediately. The Company shall also accept payments vide cheques, demand drafts, electronic transfers etc. subject to the condition that return of the security (gold) will be made only after confirmation of realization.
Even though the loan sanction letter (pledge token) contains all applicable terms and conditions of the loan the Company shall, nevertheless, endeavour, on a best effort basis, to send advices, reminders etc. regarding due date for payment of interest, principal etc. by letter, courier service, telephone , SMS etc.
The Company will resort to disposal of security (gold) only as a last resort and that too after adequate and proper notice is served on the customer to repay the dues. Such notice will be as per the terms contained in the sanction letter (pledge token) and also in compliance with applicable laws and regulatory guidelines. The disposal of the security (gold) will be taken up through public auction when the customer does not positively respond to the communications sent by the Company to close the loan account along with interest and other charges.
Where the Company proposes to dispose of the security even before the normal tenure of the loan based on the rights conferred on the Company vide loan application and loan sanction letter (pledge token) adequate and proper notice will be served on the customer before such action is initiated for recovery of dues.
The Company prefers and encourages customers to take back delivery of the security immediately upon full settlement of all dues. However, should there be exceptional instance of the Customer being unable to take delivery of the security (gold), not attributable to the inability of the Company
The Company will not interfere in the affairs of the customers except for the purposes mentioned in the terms & conditions of the loan or when constrained to do so due to inadequate or false disclosures made by the borrower at the time of putting through the transactions.
IV. Policy on KYC, Appraisal, Insurance, Storage of Securities etc.
The Company shall put in place a policy duly approved by the Board of Directors covering the following aspects:
Adequate steps to ensure that the KYC guidelines stipulated by RBI are complied with and to ensure that adequate due diligence is carried out on the customer before extending any loan.
Proper appraisal procedure for jewelry accepted as collateral security.
Declaration shall be obtained from the borrower confirming ownership of gold jewelry.
All branches shall have proper storage facility of either Strong Rooms or Safes conforming to ISI Standards of approved make to store the jewelry in safe custody. The keys to the strong room/safe shall be held separately by more than one officials and the operations thereof shall be done jointly. The staff shall be imparted training on a continuous basis to ensure that the guidelines covering security issues are strictly adhered to. The gold items shall be periodically inspected by the internal auditors to ensure quality, quantity and proper storage.
Any fraud in the functioning of the Company shall be enquired into by the appropriate authority and suitable punitive measure shall be taken by the appropriate disciplinary authority. Any review of the decision of the disciplinary authority shall be carried out by the Board.
(V) CUSTOMER SERVICE & GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL
The Company will implement all possible steps to prevent and minimize customer complaints / grievances
The Company will put in place an effective Customer Grievance Redressal mechanism details of which will be displayed on the website and in all the branches. The mechanism will specify interalia the names & designations of the officials with whom complaints can be registered, their postal address / telephone numbers/ email address, escalation matrix, time limit for acknowledging receipt of complaint, time limit for dealing with the complaint etc. It will also put in place at all offices where business is transacted, the complete contact details of the Regional office of RBI , Mumbai within whose jurisdiction the registered office of the company is situated, so that the customers may directly approach the RBI in case their grievances are not redressed within one month of the receipt of complaints by the company”
The Company will put in place an effective training system to ensure that employees of the Company are customer friendly and do not resort to rude, inappropriate or unethical behavior.
The Company will endeavor to work out and display the time norms for putting through and completing the various transactions.
The Company will have a sympathetic approach to the problems faced by the customer especially the poor and underprivileged sections.
(VI) MISCELLANEOUS
The Company shall display the normal business hours at the respective branches, the list of holidays and notify the changes, if any, by way of a notice displayed in the premises of the branch or through press notification.
Personal information of the customer will not be shared with unauthorized persons or agencies or third parties by the Company. However, the Company will be bound to honour and comply with legal or regulatory requirements, if any, in this matter obligating it to part with such information even without notice to the customer.
