The bank has a retail base of 2.2 million customers. It has increased its branch network to 171 (131 branches as on March 31, 2001) and the automated teller machine network to 479 from 207 at the end of last fiscal. HDFC Bank is among the top three in key segments like car loans, personal loans, loans against shares and the market leader in debit cards, demat accounts, cash management services.

For the fiscal ended March 2002 sales were Rs 2036.2 crore, PBIDT was 73.6 per cent, net profit was Rs 297 crore and the EPS was Rs 10.6. The company appears to be one with very good fundamentals and holding on to this scrip could prove beneficial. However, considering its valuations, fresh investment could ideally be considered at declines.

Private banks are growing aggressively at 62 per cent to eat into the over Rs 1,00,000-crore retail business market that has so far been dominated by PSU banks.

The PSU banks, led by the SBI, PNB, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda and Bank of India, together posted a 36 per cent growth in personal loans at over Rs 80,813 crore last year.

But private players led by ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, UTI Bank and IDBI Bank logged a 62 per cent growth and offered retail loans worth over Rs 11,743 crore, banking sources said.

In the home loans category, PSU banks managed a growth of 50.44 per cent at over Rs 40,000 crore, but private banks outsmarted them with a 58 per cent growth at Rs 3,437 crore.

The significant growth of private banks can be attributed to aggressive marketing strategies and innovative products.

IndusInd Bank, a private sector bank, has exited the personal loans business. It has decided to offer personal loans only to customers with corporate salary accounts on fears that defaults would rise substantially.

The personal loan market has got very competitive with foreign banks and non banking finance companies entering this space. Banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, Centurion Bank of Punjab and non banking finance companies such as GE, DBS Cholamandalam, Fullerton India among others are aggressively marketing personal loans.

Banks and NBFCs are focusing on unsecured loans products as the yield in this business is high which covers for any defaults. Interest rate on personal loans currently varies from 14 per cent to 30 per cent.

FIs offer loans not just for new homes but also for repair works and renovations, construction of a new home and for expanding or extending an existing home. Through a Home Conversion Loan, the existing loan is transferred to the new home, including the additional amount required, eliminating the need for pre-payment of the previous loan.

Home Improvement Loan is offered by banks to facilitate improvement of a self-owned dwelling unit to existing or new customer. HIL considers a range of facilities, internal or external, to the structure without increase in the living pace. Thus, a customer can add or improve facilities to his dwelling unit with a loan at Home Equity Loan rate of interest.

If you are an existing HDFC Home Loan customer, you can avail other loans (such as personal loans, car loans, two-wheeler loans and loan against securities) at lower interest rates.

-> Borrow up to Rs 10,00,000 for any purpose depending on your requirements.

-> Flexible Repayment options, ranging from 12 to 48 months.

-> Repay with easy EMIs.

-> One of the lowest interest rates.

-> Hassle free loans - No guarantor/security/collateral required.

-> Speedy loan approval.

-> Convenience of service at your doorstep.