Minimum Balance Rules of Top Banks
Banks charge a maintenance fee from customers who fail to maintain average monthly balance
Regular savings bank accounts require customers to maintain average monthly balance (AMB) to avoid any penalties. AMB is the minimum average of deposits required by the bank customers in their regular savings bank accounts.
Banks calculate the average monthly balance by adding together each daily closing account balance throughout the month. The bank divides the sum of the daily account balances by the number of days in the month.
Leading banks such as State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank have fixed their average monthly balance requirements according to the location of a customer’s account in urban, metro, semi-urban and rural areas. Banks charge a penalty from the customers who fail to maintain an average monthly balance in their savings account.
Here is a comparison of AMB in State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank(PNB), HDFC and ICICI Bank
State Bank of India (SBI)
| Branch Type | Average Monthly Balance |
| Metro | Rs. 3000 |
| Urban | Rs. 3000 |
| Semi-Urban | Rs. 2000 |
| Rural | Rs. 1000 |
Punjab National Bank(PNB)
| Branch Type | Average Monthly Balance |
| Metro | Rs. 2000 |
| Urban | Rs. 2000 |
| Semi-Urban | Rs. 2000 |
| Rural | Rs. 1000 |
HDFC Bank
| Branch Type | Average Monthly Balance |
| Metro | Rs. 10,000 |
| Urban | Rs. 10,000 |
| Semi-Urban | Rs. 5000 |
| Rural | Rs. 2500 |
ICICI Bank
| Branch Type | Average Monthly Balance |
| Metro | Rs. 10,000 |
| Urban | Rs. 10000 |
| Semi-Urban | Rs. 5000 |
| Rural | Rs. 2000 |
| Gramin | Rs.1000 |
Also Read: SBI Offers These Accounts With Zero Balance Savings