Separate current rules from future directions
A borrower who has missed a payment may receive calls from a lender or an agency working on its behalf. A genuine repayment problem does not give a collector a free hand to intimidate, humiliate or mislead a borrower. At the same time, a request for respectful conduct should be separated from the question of what amount is actually due and how it may be resolved.
The Reserve Bank of India issued additional instructions on recovery agents on 12 August 2022. On 6 August 2026, it issued a further group of amendment directions on recovery conduct and agencies. The RBI stated that those 2026 amendments will come into effect on 1 January 2027. A rule announced for 2027 should not be described as though its new wording was already in force before that date.
What the earlier circular addresses
The 2022 circular places responsibility on the regulated entity for its outsourced activities and addresses conduct by recovery agents. Its examples include intimidation, public humiliation, intrusion into the privacy of family members and friends, inappropriate messages, threatening or anonymous calls, persistent calling and misleading representations. It also addresses calls for recovery of overdue loans before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Read the circular with its applicability and the rules governing the relevant loan.
Keep the distinction between an allegation and a finding. A polite reminder about a genuine overdue account is not automatically harassment. A complaint should describe the words, frequency, timing, recipients and surrounding circumstances so the lender can examine the actual conduct.
What changes from January 2027
The 2026 directions are issued in separate instruments for different types of regulated entities, including commercial banks, small finance banks, regional rural banks, certain co-operative banks, financial institutions, non-banking financial companies and housing finance companies. The correct instrument, scope, exceptions and any later amendments must be checked against the actual lender.
For commercial banks within the stated scope, the 2026 amendment describes requirements for civil interactions, authorised representatives and contact or visits between 08:00 and 19:00. It provides for earlier or later contact or visits where the borrower or guarantor has expressly requested or authorised them. It also describes safeguards concerning inappropriate occasions, privacy, misleading statements and harassment. These are examples of the future directions, not a substitute for reading the relevant full text.
Create a useful evidence record
Record the date and time of each disputed call or visit, the telephone number, the name stated by the caller, the organisation claimed to be represented and the precise conduct complained of. Save original messages, emails, call logs and any recording lawfully available to you. If someone approached a relative or employer, ask that person to retain their own messages and provide a factual account.
Avoid forwarding identity documents, workplace information or contacts to an unidentified person. Ask the lender through an independently verified contact channel to confirm the agency, its authority and the account concerned. A collector claiming a particular power does not establish that the claim is legally correct.
Make a focused complaint
Send the lender a written complaint identifying the account and each incident, attaching relevant evidence and requesting an investigation and a response. Ask for the name of the agency, confirmation of instructions given to it and steps taken to prevent further misconduct. Separately explain any genuine difficulty in repayment and propose a realistic conversation about the account.
If the lender does not resolve the service complaint, examine the current RBI Ombudsman eligibility conditions and timelines before escalating. Where there are threats of violence or an immediate safety concern, consider contacting the appropriate police authorities. Do not assume that a complaint automatically cancels a debt, stays a proceeding or changes a contractual payment date.
Important information
This guide was prepared using the position available in November 2026. Rules, commencement dates and applicability should be checked again for the particular institution. The guide is general information and does not decide any individual complaint.
