What is a Pledge Loan?

A pledge loan differs from a standard loan in that the loaned amount is completely backed with collateral from the borrower. It is a well known fact that the prices of agricultural commodities immediately after harvest, tend to be low compelling the farmers specially the small and marginal farmers with low or no holding capacity, to resort to distress sale. There has been a felt need to provide the farming community with pledge finance to enable the farmers to avail credit when the prices are low and to sell their produce when the prices are favorable. A borrower can use their funds, such as a savings account, as collateral to obtain a loan. pledge loans against the stock after verification of the same. The stock, however, is kept under lock and key of the Bank and the loan disbursed and settled in pro rata basis with the stock pledged and sold. The funds used as collateral then become "frozen" until the loan is paid back in full. Because pledge loans are fully backed with collateral, they are easier to obtain than traditional loans and offer a number of other benefits to borrowers such as:

• Better interest rates than standard loans
• No credit check required
• Helps establish or rebuild credit history easily
• Flexible terms