OREANDA-NEWS. August 25, 2011. The Commission of the Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service in the Kurgan Region (Kurgan OFAS Russia), that includes on parity basis representatives from Kurgan OFAS Russia and from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, found that the “Savings Bank of Russia” OJSC violated the antimonopoly law, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Executing the loan agreement, the “Savings Bank of Russia” OJSC charged the borrowers – physical persons for each bank statement about the principal payments and payments of the loan interest, which was contrary to Part 1 Article 10 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”.

FAS Russia received a petition from a Kurgan resident that the “Savings Bank of Russia” OJSC had raised the fee for issuing a statement about the outstanding amount and the interest paid under the mortgage loan agreement by five times.

The resident bought an apartment under the Special Programme for “Developing Housing Mortgage Loans in the Kurgan Region in 2004 — 2010 and until 2015”.

The petitioner had to submit the statements from the bank when he approached the Main Department of the Kurgan Region for Education in order to receive an aid from the government, offered to young families when a child is born, and the Office of the Pension Fund of Russian in the Kurgan Region to register loan payment with the maternity capital funds. For each statement he paid 250 Rubles to the benefit of the “Savings Bank of Russia” OJSC.

Investigating the case, the Commission of Kurgan OFAS Russia discovered that information about the outstanding amount and the interest paid is provided to citizens under loan agreements that are covered by the law on consumer rights. Effectively, this is information how the Bank renders its loan services. Under the law on consumer rights, such information must be provided to physical persons free-of-charge.

“The “Savings Bank of Russia” OJSC is a monopolist on the market of mortgage loans, so its operations are subject to prohibition to abuse market dominance in order to avoid infringing the interests of other persons”, said the Head of Kurgan OFAS Russia, Anatoly Savyolov.