The EMIs for my car loan from Axis Bank were automatically deducted through ECS from my ICICI Bank account. Recently, when I pre-closed this loan, the staff at Axis Bank asked me to additionally issue a stop payment for the EMIs through ICICI Bank. It’s just a precautionary measure, they said, and isn’t really required especially if you pre-close the loan well in advance of the next EMI. But, in my opinion, it’s better to be safe by taking this measure. All you need to do is to visit the branch, fill up a form, and submit it.

And, if you don’t issue a stop payment, what’s the worst thing that can happen? An extra EMI would be deducted but this would be credited back to you after some time — you wouldn’t have access to these funds in the interim. Another often suggested solution is to reduce your account balance to zero, but this might not be feasible for everyone and especially for someone like me who likes to maintain a single source of truth.

[sniplet tip tuesdays]