Citibank has been providing world class banking services in India since 1902. It is our endeavor to continue to provide ‘best in class’ products and services to our customers. This document elucidates, in the context of consumer bank accounts and loans, Citibank’s policies on Best Practices that it follows as a bank.

• Savings account, Current account, Fixed Deposits
• Investment account, Demat Account,
• Safe Deposit Lockers
• Foreign Exchange Services
• Loans & Overdrafts
• Third Party Investments & Insurance products
• Credit Cards & Debit Cards

• Meeting the commitments and standards in this Fair Lending Practice Code (“Code”), for the products and services we offer, and in the procedures and practices our staff follow.
• Making sure our products and services meet relevant laws and regulations.
• Our dealings with the customer will rest on ethical principles of integrity and transparency.

• Giving verbal information about the financial products/services in plain Hindi and/or English and/or the local language and written information in English;
• Ensuring that our advertising & promotional literature is clear & is not misleading
• Explaining the financial implications of the financial products/services; and
• Helping the customer to choose the financial product/service that meets his needs
• Providing periodic & appropriate updates regarding products that the customer has purchased
• Providing information on the benefits that our customers are entitled to and how can our customers avail of them.
• Giving information to our customers on who they contact for their queries

• Correcting mistakes quickly
• Handling customer complaints quickly
• Telling our customers how to take their complaint forward if the customers are still not satisfied with our assistance
• Reversing any bank charges that we apply due to our mistake

We will not discriminate between our customers on the basis of gender, physical ability, race or religion.

This Code will be put on our website (www.citibank.com/india) and we will have copies available for our customers on request.

Helping the customers to choose products and services, which meet their needs.

Before an individual becomes a customer, we will:

• Give the individual clear information explaining the key features of the services and products the individual is
  interested in;
• Give the individual information on any type of account facility which we offer and which may suit the needs of the individual;
• Ask the individual clearly of what information we need to prove the identity and address of the individual and to comply with legal and regulatory requirements; and
• Request for additional information about the customer and his family to build a database. However, such information may be furnished by the customer only if the customer wishes and we will not compel the customer to give this information for opening the account.

We will tell our customers if we offer products and services in more than one way through ATMs, on the Internet, over the phone, or in branches.

We will inform our customers on interest rates and common fees & Charges in more than one way through:

• Notices in our branches
• Through Citiphones
• Over the internet
• Through our service staff at Help Desks
• Through Schedule of charges that accompany the welcome pack/letter

When a customer opens a single account or a joint account, we will give the customer information on his rights and responsibilities.

We will guide our customers how we will deal with deposits and other assets held with us in the name of a deceased person in the absence of nomination.

At the time of opening of the account, we will inform our customers as part of the terms & conditions of the rate at which interest is paid on savings deposits, how the interest is calculated and its periodicity as per current Reserve Bank of India guidelines.

We will give our customers details of any charges applicable to the products/services chosen by them. Customers can contact our staff or visit our website or call CitiPhone Banking to get more information or seek clarifications.

If we increase any of these charges (other than interest rates) or introduce a new charge, the same will be notified at least one (1) month before the revised charges are levied / become due, and the customer has the option, subject to applicable terms and conditions, to continue his availment of the concerned product/service post any such revision.

Specific charges for issuance of Cheque books, additional Statement of accounts, Paid Debit cards will be included as part of our Charge schedule which will be given to our customers.

We will tell our customers the charge for any other service or product before we provide that service or product.

We will give the relevant terms and conditions for the products/services the customers have asked us to provide when they become a customer or accept a product/service for the first time.

We will ensure that all written terms and conditions are fair and will set out rights and responsibilities of our customers clearly and in plain language. We will use legal or technical language only where it is necessary.

Normally, changes [other than interest rates] will be made with prospective effect giving notice of at least one (1) month. If the changes are to the disadvantage of the customer, the customer may close the account at any time within one month (with in the notice period) from the date of the notice without having to pay any extra charges or interest for doing this.

We will make sure that all advertising and promotional material is clear, fair, reasonable and not misleading.

We will seek consent from our customers for giving details of their name and address to any third party, including other entities within Citigroup, for marketing purposes through application form and or terms & conditions and as part of customer contracts, loan documents, overdraft / card agreements. We will ensure that such third parties handle your personal information with the same degree of confidentiality and security as we would.

We may from time to time communicate to you various products that may be of interest to you or any other promotional offers in respect of our product/services that offer exclusive benefits to you, in case you do not wish to be informed about such benefits/offers/products either through Telephone calls, Short message Services, you may register for our ‘ Do not Disturb/ Opt out facility by writing to us or by registering for the same on our website.

We have put in place a ‘Code of Conduct’ for the Direct Selling Agencies and their staff whom we use for marketing our asset products (Credit Cards, Loan products) and monitor strict adherence to the same by such Direct Selling Agencies.

At Citibank, we are committed to protecting Customer privacy & Customers right to information. According to our global standards, as encapsulated in the Citigroup Privacy Promise (detailed below), We will provide customer with a copy of the Citigroup Privacy Promise and ‘opt outs” rights and process for exercising these rights.

Customer Privacy will also be protected through relevant disclosures that are required by local laws and regulations, as part of Terms & Conditions.

While information is the cornerstone of our ability to provide superior service, our most important asset is our customers’ trust. Keeping customer information secure, and using it only as our customers would want us to, is a top priority for all of us at Citigroup. Here, then, is our promise to our individual customers:

• We will safeguard, according to strict standards of security and confidentiality, any information our customers share with us.
• We will limit the collection and use of customer information to the minimum we require to deliver superior service to our customers, which includes advising our customers about our products, services and other opportunities, and to administer our business.
• We will permit only authorized employees, who are trained in the proper handling of customer information, to have access to that information. Employees who violate our Privacy Promise will be subject to our normal disciplinary process.
• We will not reveal customer information to any external organization unless we have previously informed the customer in disclosures or agreements, have been authorized by the customer, or are required by law.
• We will always maintain control over the confidentiality of our customer information. We may, however, facilitate relevant offers from reputable companies. These companies are not permitted to retain any customer information unless the customer has specifically expressed interest in their products or services.
• We will tell customers in plain language, initially and at least once annually, how they may remove their names from marketing lists. At any time, customers can contact us to remove their names from such lists.
• Whenever we hire other organizations to provide support services, we will require them to conform to our privacy standards and to allow us to audit them for compliance.
• For purposes of credit reporting, verification and risk management, we will exchange information about our customers with reputable reference sources and clearinghouse services.
• We will not use or share – internally or externally – personally identifiable medical information for any purpose other than the underwriting or administration of a customer’s policy, claim or account, or as disclosed to the customer when the information is collected, or to which the customer consents.
• We will attempt to keep customer files complete, up to date, and accurate. We will tell our customers how and where to conveniently access their account information (except when we’re prohibited by law) and how to notify us about errors which we will promptly correct.
• We will continuously assess ourselves to ensure that customer privacy is respected. We will conduct our business in a manner that fulfills our Promise in the many nations in which we do business.

• If there is a duty towards the public to reveal the information or it is necessary or appropriate to do so
• If our Interests require us to give information (to prevent fraud)

• When our customers apply for a loan/Overdraft/Credit card, we may pass such details For purposes of credit reporting, verification and risk management, we will exchange information about our customers with reputable reference sources and clearinghouse services
• We may give information to such credit reference agencies about the loans/Overdrafts you hold with us, your repayment track record and other appropriate details to build yourCredit profile
• We may provide such credit reference agencies information about day-to-day running of your account provided we have your consent to do so
• We will tell you, in case requested by you how to get information that credit reference agencies have about you

Whenever we give our customers any Loans/Credit Cards, we will:

• Explain the repayment process
• Amount, tenor and Periodicity of repayment
• Follow a defined process for recovery of dues
• Remind you telephonically or via email to make repayments
• Make personal visits if required, will maintain decency & decorum
• Repossess the Asset/Security if required with an aim only to recover dues and will not be aimed at whimsical deprivation of the property
• Be fair & transparent in repossession, valuation & realization of security

The members of staff or any person authorized to represent our bank in collection or / and security repossession will follow the guidelines set out below:

• All customers will be contacted ordinarily at the place of their choice, In the absence of a specified place at the residence of the customer and if the customer is unavailable at the residence, at the customers place of business/occupation
• The member of our staff will identify himself/herself in the first instance
• We will respect privacy of the customer and all our interactions will be in a civil manner
• We will call all our customers between 0700 hrs and 1900 hrs unless the special circumstance of your business or occupation require you to be called otherwise outside of the hours mentioned
• Time and number of calls and the content of the conversation will be documented
• All assistance will be provided to our customers to resolve differences or disputes in a mutually acceptable manner, if any as regards dues
• Inappropriate occasions such as bereavement in the family or such other calamitous occasions would be avoided for making visits/calls.

Complaints & Grievances

If the customer want to make a complaint, we will tell them how to do this through notices displayed at the branches or the customer can call CitiPhone Banking or send an email to indiaservice.com

Within two (2) weeks of receiving a written customer complaint, we will send a written acknowledgement.

If your complaint is made over the phone, we will register the complaint and provide you with a complaint reference number.

After examining the matter, it will be our endeavor to send the customer our final or other response within six (6) weeks and we will tell a customer how to take the complaint further if the customer is still not satisfied.

Details of the Banking Ombudsman are displayed in the branch notice boards. Our staff would explain the procedure in this regard to the customers.

Deposit Accounts:

For bank accounts, we will inform you about number of transactions, cash withdrawals etc, if applicable that can be done for a given period.

Minimum Balance

For Deposit products like savings bank account, Current account and term deposits, we will inform our customers about the minimum balance that needs to be maintained as part of T & C governing operations of such accounts

Statements

We will tell our customers about the clearing cycle, including when they can withdraw money after lodging collection instruments and when they will start to earn interest (if applicable).

We may give at our discretion immediate credit to our customer's account for outstation cheques lodged by them and should they require, we will allow the customer to draw against such instrument[s] under collection as per prevailing RBI guidelines. (Presently, instruments upto Rs.15,000/- tendered by customers operating accounts satisfactorily)

We will pay interest on funds involved if collection is delayed beyond the normal period as stipulated by RBI due to any delay on our part.

We will intimate all our customers about the RBI’s clean note policy through notices displayed at our branches and request them to co-operate with us by remitting notes in unstapled / unstitched conditions as required under the prevailing RBI policy.

We will exchange soiled/mutilated notes as per RBI Directives.

We will tell our customers how direct debits/Standing instructions work and how they may be cancelled.

We will act upon mandates given by the customers for direct debits [say ECS] and other standing instructions subject to availability of the funds.

If any money is erroneously taken from a customers account under a direct debit, we will refund the amount debited sooner it is determined that the account was erroneously debited.

We will keep original cheques paid from customer account or copies, for such periods as required by law.

If, within a reasonable period after the entry has been made on customer statement 14 days from the date of receipt of the statement), there is a dispute about a cheque paid from the customer account, we will give the copy of the cheque as evidence if required.

We will tell our customers how we deal with unpaid cheques and out-of-date/expired cheques.

We will accept stop payment instructions from our customers in respect of cheques issued by them provided they have not been cleared already and the customer has given sufficient time to affect the instruction.

Charges if any for executing a Stop payment Instruction will be communicated to our customers as part of the schedule of Charges.

Premature withdrawal of term Deposits

• Our customers can enquire the procedure for withdrawal of term deposits before the maturity of the deposit agreed upon at the opening of the deposit account with our staff or through Citiphone banking.
• We will declare the interest rate policy for premature withdrawal of term deposits.
• We will inform all our customers on request the applicable rate of interest along with the deposit rate

We will offer overdrafts/loans against deposits to our customers

We will inform our customers the procedure to open and operate a savings account for a minor on request.

• We will inform our customers the period after which the account that is not operated will be classified as Inactive and will also inform regarding charges, if any.
• We will inform our customers if they will be allowed to transact such accounts and charges if any

We will not close customer’s accounts under normal circumstances and without giving a reasonable notice. Examples of circumstances that are not ‘ normal’ are including but not limited to threatening, abusive behavior towards our staff, improper conduct of account, not providing adequate information regarding source of credit or purpose of withdrawals including not cooperating to provide documentary evidence if & when required.

We will inform our customers on request the policy we have on settlement of dues on an account where the account holder has deceased. The policy will cover all accounts with or without nominations, with Mandate holders, either or survivor accounts.

We will provide our customers complete details of how to avail the safe deposit locker facility wherever we offer this facility on request including a copy of the agreement & charges whenever a customer avails a safe deposit locker.

We will provide details of the service, exchange rates and charges that apply to foreign exchange transactions, which our customers can make.

We will tell the customer how he can transfer money abroad and will inform our customers about:

• A description of the services and how to use them;
• Details of when the money they have sent abroad should get there and the reasons for possible delays, if any;
• The exchange rate applied when converting to the foreign currency, and
  details of any commission or charges. (If this is not possible at the time of the transaction, we will let you know later what the rate is)
• We will assist our customers in rectifying/ completing the documentation required to transfer money abroad in case the information provided by the customer is not adequate.
• We will tell our customers the original amount received and charges levied, if any, when money is transferred to their bank account from abroad. If the sender has paid all charges, we will not deduct any further charge.
• We will guide our customers about regulatory requirements or conditions relating to foreign exchange services offered by us as and when required.

Before we lend to a customer any money or increase overdraft, credit card limit or other borrowing, we will establish a reasonable belief, at our discretion, on the customer’s financial standing.

• We will inform our customers the key features of our loan products and credit cards features including Applicable fee & other charges
• We will inform our customers what documentary information may be required to establish the true identity of the customer including address and other documents stipulated by the regulatory authorities (PAN #)
• We will conduct a contact point verification by contacting you on your residence/business telephone numbers or physically visit residence/business address mentioned in your loan/credit card application id required. Bank employees will conduct this or an agency appointed by us.
• If we offer our customer an overdraft, or an increase in existing overdraft limit, we will tell the customer if the overdraft is repayable on demand or otherwise.
• Wherever possible and to the extent possible, reasons for rejection of loans will be conveyed to the customers.
• We will communicate the interest rate applicable, as also the Fee/charges for processing, prepayment option and charges if any, so that a meaningful comparison can be made with those of other banks.
• We will communicate the credit limit to our card customers along with terms & conditions thereof
• We will process request for transfer of borrowal account, either from the borrower or from other bank/financial institution.

• While you apply for credit card, we will explain the relevant terms and conditions such as fees and interest charges, billing and payment, renewal and termination procedures and any other information that you may require to operate the card through the MITC in the application form. These are also available on our website
• We will advise you of our targeted turn around time while you are availing / applying for a product / service
• We will send a service guide/member booklet giving detailed terms and conditions, interest and charges applicable and other relevant information with respect to usage of your credit card along with your first credit card.
• We will advise you our contact details such as contact telephone numbers, postal address, website/e-mail address to enable you to contact us whenever you need to. You may write to us at Citibank N A, PO Box # 4830, Anna Salai Post Office, Chennai – 600002. Alternatively, you can e-mail us at indiaservice@citicorp.com or call us at the Toll Free Number 1-600-220123 / Citiphone numbers details of which are available in the Customer Service tab on our website.
• If you do not recognize a transaction, which appears on your credit card statement, we will give you more details if asked. In some cases, we may need you to give us confirmation or evidence that you have not authorized a transaction.
• We will inform you, through our service guide / member booklet of the losses on your account that you may be liable if your card is lost/misused.

• We will dispatch your credit card only to the mailing address mentioned by you through courier/post. Alternatively on request we may dispatch your card at the branches which maintain your banking account.
• PIN (personal identification number) whenever allotted, will be sent to you separately.
• We will only send a Paid Credit/Debit card if our customers ask for one or to replace a card should our customers require and request. We may send our customers a deactivated credit card if we consider their profile appropriate for issuing a credit card. Such deactivated credit cards will only become active if our customers authorize us to make them active.
• We will dispatch the PIN and the card separately.
• We will tell our customers about our systems (such as touch terminals/KIOSKs) to allow them to choose or change a PIN easily
• We will extend a loan/Credit facility/enhance credit limit on our customers card only with their consent.

• To help you manage your credit card account and check details of purchases/cash drawings using the credit card, we will offer you a facility to receive credit card transaction details either via monthly mail or through the internet. Credit card statement will be dispatched on a predetermined date of every month which will be notified to you. You may also register with us for receiving your monthly statements via e-mail in an encrypted & secure format assigned with a unique password that will be notified to you. It is a user-friendly format that can be downloaded for printing or archiving for future reference.
• In the event of non-receipt of this information, we expect you to get in touch with us so that we can arrange to resend the details to enable you to make the payment and highlight exception, if any in a timely manner.
• We will let you know / notify changes in schedule of fees and charges and terms and conditions. Normally, changes (other than interest rates and those which are results of regulatory requirements) will be made with prospective effect giving notice of at least one month. This notice will be served through a message in your monthly statement.

We will treat all our customers’ personal information as private and confidential and will not reveal details of customers / customers accounts to a third party, including entities in our group, other than in the following four exceptional cases when we are allowed to do:

• If we have to give the information by law.
• If there is a duty towards the public to reveal the information.
• If our customers ask us to reveal the information, or if we have their permission (through consent obtained as part of terms and conditions ) to provide such information to our group/ associate /entities or companies when we have tie-up arrangements for providing other financial service products. The Customer can Choose to opt out by putting a ‘Do Not Disturb’ facility on all his accounts.

We will make appropriate security arrangements to safe guard customer interest.

We will tell our customers what they need to do to help protect misuse of their accounts.

We will take immediate steps when notified by our customers to try to prevent any misuse in the event our customer’s chequebook, ATM/Debit or credit card has been lost or stolen, or that someone else knows their PIN [Personal Identification Number] or any other security information.

This section details all about what a customer can do to help prevent his account from being misused.

Our customers should make sure they let us know as soon as possible when they change their:
-Name
-Address
-Phone number or
-E-mail address (if the customer wants us to communicate via email with them].

We recommend that our customers check their account statement or credit card statement regularly. If there is an entry which seems to be wrong, they should tell us as soon as possible (14 days from the date of receipt of the statement) so that we can resolve the problem to the satisfaction of the customer.

• Do not keep your cheque book and ATM/Debit cards together
• Do not keep any blank cheque leaves signed
• Do not allow anyone else to use your card, PIN, password or other security information
• If you change your PIN you should choose your new PIN carefully
• Always memorize your PIN, password and other security information, and destroy the notice as soon as you receive it
• Never write down or record your PIN, password or other security information
• Always take reasonable steps to keep your card safe in your personal custody and your PIN, password and other security information secret at all times
• Keep your card receipts safe and dispose them of carefully
• Never disclose your account details, password or other security information to anyone.
• If you send a cheque through the post, it will help to prevent fraud if you clearly write the name of the person you are paying the cheque to and should be made account payee by crossing the top left of the cheque and mentioning account payee between the crossings.
• If you are paying a cheque into a bank account, always write on the cheque the name of the account holder [ABC Bank Account - XYZ]. You should draw a line through unused space on the cheque so unauthorized person cannot add extra numbers or names.
• Visit our internet banking site directly. Avoid accessing the site through a link from another site and verify the domain name displayed to avoid spoof websites.
  Ignore any e-mail asking for your password or PIN.
• We advise you not to use cyber cafés to access our internet banking site.
• We advise you to update your PC with latest anti-virus software regularly. A suitable firewall installed in a computer to protect your PC and its contents from outsiders on the internet would be an added security measure
• It is essential that you tell us as soon as you can if you suspect or discover that:
  -your cheque book, Account Statements, ATM/Credit card has been lost or stolen or -someone else knows your PIN, password or other security information.
• You can intimate us of the same either by calling our Phone banking unit or by writing us through an email or by visiting any of our branches.
• If you want to cancel a payment or series of payments you have authorised, you should do the following:
  To stop payment of a cheque you can call CitiPhone banking, use Internet banking or use touch access banking or write to us. To cancel standing instruction given, you must send us a written request.
  To cancel a direct debit, you should tell us and the originator of the direct debit. It may not be possible to cancel payments if you do not give enough notice of your decision to cancel.
• If you act fraudulently, you will be responsible for all losses on your account/credit card. If you act without reasonable care, and this causes losses, you may be responsible for them.  

We have a dedicated Compliance Officer who ensures compliance of the Code. We also have internal auditing procedures that will ensure we meet the Code.

We will make our best effort to make it easy and convenient for senior citizens and disabled persons to bank with us. This will include making convenient policies, products and services for such applicants & customers.

• We may open deposit account (other than Current Account) for illiterate person.
• We will inform the procedure for opening of the account of such persons provided he/she calls on the bank personally along with a witness who is known to the bank as well as the customer
• Normally, no Cheque book is provided , at the time of withdrawal / Repayment of deposit amount and/or interest , the account holder should affix his/ her thumb impression or mark in the presence of the authorized officer who would verify the identity.
• We will explain the Terms & Conditions governing the account to the illiterate/ Blind person
• We will make all efforts to make it easy & convenient for Physically Challenged persons to operate their accounts
  with us.