The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has stated that everyone main banks have to problem the locker agreement to its holders earlier than January 1, 2023, as the new locker policies might be carried out from that date.
As consistent with RBI’s revised guidelines, “Banks shall make sure that any unfair terms or situations are not integrated in their locker agreements. Further, the terms of the contract shall now not be more exhausting than required in the ordinary path of business to safeguard the pursuits of the bank. Banks shall renew their locker agreements with present locker clients via January 1, 2023”.
The RBI said all banks need to flow into a new locker settlement to their secure deposit locker holders under the brand new guidelines. Banks can use the IBA-drafted model locker settlement, which have to observe the up to date commands and Supreme Court’s directives.
As consistent with RBI’s new tips, which have been declared on August eight, 2021, and came into effect on January 1, 2022, it’s miles the banks’ obligation to ensure the safety and security of the premises where the safe deposit vaults are positioned.
Banks could be eligible to pay in case of any loss of locker content due to the financial institution’s negligence, as in step with the brand new RBI hints.
Customers can stand up to a hundred times the bank costs if the property stored in the vaults are robbed or destroyed due to fireplace or constructing disintegrate.
“It is the duty of banks to take all steps for the protection and safety of the premises in which the secure deposit vaults are housed. It has the responsibility to make certain that incidents like fireplace, robbery/ housebreaking/ robbery, dacoity, and constructing collapse do no longer arise in the financial institution’s premises because of its personal shortcomings, negligence, and by way of any act of omission/commission. As banks cannot claim that they bear no liability towards their customers for the lack of contents of the locker, in instances in which the lack of contents of the locker is because of incidents stated above or because of fraud devoted by way of its worker(s), the banks’ liability will be for an amount equal to 100 times the winning annual rent of the safe deposit locker.”
The RBI has said that it’s miles mandatory for banks to install CCTV to screen the locker rooms. Besides, it has additionally requested the banks to preserve the data of CCTV for one hundred eighty days. This will assist in checking if any discrepancy happens.
The RBI has also mentioned that banks make the provision of lockers public via displaying the facts on a show board within the financial institution. The customers must be apprised of the list of empty lockers, the waiting list for the locker, and the variety on the waiting list.
SMS signals
In order to guard clients from fraud, the RBI directed that the respective banks should send SMS and e-mails every time a patron accesses his locker. This alert will guard customers from fraud.
Rent of locker
The banks can now demand a time period deposit at the time of allocation of a locker that would be taken as the rent for three years.
For current locker holders, banks cannot insist on such Term Deposits or from those who’ve fine operative money owed.