'SBI not to raise deposit, lending rates in near-term'

Country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) says it does not plan any hike in its lending and deposit rates in the near-term as the liquidity situation is evolving in the right direction.

"Till September, there will be no increase in our deposit rates," SBI Chairman O P Bhatt said today on the sidelines of a CII-organised conference.

There are no plans to hike its newly-introduced base rate or its lending rates as well in the "near-term", Bhatt said.

"The liquidity in the system is not as much as it used to be...But that is not to say that funds are not available to banks--they are available," Bhatt said.

However, adding a caveat, he said that there could be pressure on liquidity as advanced tax payments start in September.

On fund-raising by State Bank of Mysore, Bhatt said that the bank planned to raise around Rs 500-crore by end-this year.

The merger of State Bank of Indore with SBI, which will formally happen tomorrow will be "absolutely smooth", especially, considering SBI's prior experience at amalgamating with sister banks that started with State Bank of Saurashtra last year, he said.