With this, the current market leader, HDFC will have to rethink its strategy as ICICI will even be offering the same lending rate as HDFC. ``The difference between ICICI and HDFC would be that in our case, a customer will be offered loans at his door steps instead of going to the offices of any finance companies by taking a day off,'' says a top ICICI official. ICICI has already launched housing loan services in Pune and Nashik and say that it has met with a good response. After Mumbai, ICICI will include other metros in its itinerary in a phased manner.

With the real estate prices hovering at a new low and with no signs of any revival, ICICI officials say that moreactual buyers will go for acquiring properties instead of speculators - who have lost their shirts. ``This is a healthy sign... actual buyers will help the real estate industry to revive,'' they add.

Customers research has revealed that for taking a housing loan, a customer has to visit the HDFC or to other housing finance companies (HFC) offices spread in the metropolis. This not only wastes a customer's time but he has to take an arduous train journey. Hence, ICICI through its marketing agencies and franchises will go to customers' houses/offices to offer loans - even on Sundays and other holidays, officials say.

With the real estate industry in doldrums, many customers are waiting for the prices as well as lending rates to go down. ICICI officials say that with the passing of a favourable budget for the housing industry, more fence-sitter buyers will jump into the market by making purchases. ``We want to tap the hidden potential of the Mumbai markets,'' say officials. CICI has also `soft' launched itscar finance and consumer durable finance schemes in a bid to cash in on the personal finance boom. ``The idea is to make ICICI a universal bank offering all kinds of services to its corporate as well as individual clients,'' says its MD K V Kamath.

Buy a scooter, recover amount after 25 yrs

MUMBAI: From now onwards purchase of a two-wheeler, a four-wheeler, a television or any other consumer durable may accompany a complimentary ICICI bond that would return the amount spent by a buyer on maturity after 25 years. In March, Pune-based Bajaj Auto Ltd offered its scooters in northern India along with a free-of-cost co-branded ICICI bond, that will on maturity provide buyers with the amount they paid for acquiring the vehicles. In terms of amount mobilised by co-branding the bond as `ICICI Bajaj Scooter Bond' would not be significant compared to the Rs 300 to Rs 300 crore raised every month.