Canara Bank vs Union Bank of India: Children’s Savings Accounts
Canara Bank has a Canara Junior Saving Account for children and the Canara NSIGSE Savings Bank Deposit Account for the girl child. The bank also has a children’s deposit scheme called the Canara Champ Deposit Scheme. Union Bank of India does not offer dedicated children’s account but instead offers minors the chance to have an account through its Regular Savings Account and Union Family Savings Scheme products.
Children’s Savings Accounts from Canara Bank
Canara Junior Saving Account
The account is targeted at children above 10 years of age who can operate the account under their own name. Details are not available on the account’s page in the Canara Bank site whether children below 10 years can open the account or not as of September 2019.
Features
- Kids above 10 years can open the account under their own name and operate the account independently
- They get a debit card in their name with a monthly withdrawal limit of Rs. 5,000
- The bank mandates a monthly withdrawal limit of Rs. 10,000. Read with the debit card limit, this means that the child can withdraw another Rs. 5,000 by online transfer or cheques (not clear if bank provides these two facilities for this account) or by visiting the branch and putting in a withdrawal slip
- The account has two other restrictions. The first being that the balance at any point of time cannot be more than Rs. 50,000 and the second being the total credit cannot exceed Rs. 1,00,000 (1 lakh) in a year
- A declaration is required from the parent or guardian at the time of opening the Canara Junior Saving Account and for SMS alert facility
Canara NSIGSE Savings Bank Deposit Account
The account has been designed under the directives of the Ministry of Human Resources, Government of India, to reduce school dropout rates among girl children.
Features
- The account is available for the girl child who has passed class 8 and (a) belongs to an SC/ST group, or (b) has passed from a Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and has enrolled herself for class 9 in state government, government-aided or local body school. Girls studying in private or Central Government schools are not eligible for the account
- The parent or guardian has to provide a declaration that the child has sufficient knowledge to operate the account
- No chequebooks are issued with the account until the kid reaches the age of 18 years. Until then, withdrawals are mainly through withdrawal slips
- There is no minimum balance requirement in the Canara NSIGSE Savings Bank Deposit Account, which can even have zero balance
Savings Bank Account
The generic savings bank account that can be opened for minors jointly with the parent or under their guardianship.
Features
- The accounts need an average monthly balance of Rs. 500 for rural areas and Rs. 1,000 for urban and metro areas
- The savings account pays interest in quarterly instalments in a year February, May, August and November
Canara Champ Deposit Scheme
A deposit scheme that is especially targeted at children up to the age of 12 years.
Features
- The deposit scheme will be opened in the child’s name. There is no facility for opening the account jointly with the parent or guardian
- The deposit can be opened for kids below the age of 12 years. After they attain maturity, it is converted into the standard savings account
- The bank offers an eye-catching savings box to help the child inculcate saving habits
- The kid also receives a personal photo folder with 16 pouches to record her life stages through photographs
- In case there is no withdrawal from the account, the account holder is eligible to receive a Loan Eligibility Card for an educational loan from the bank
- The interest rate in the Canara Champ Deposit Scheme is same as applicable for savings bank accounts. As of July 2018, this is 4% per annum
- The minimum deposit amounts are same as that for savings bank accounts, i.e. Rs. 500 for rural and Rs. 1,000 for urban and metros
- The bank offers the option to convert balances over Rs. 15,000 into the fixed deposits under its Kamadhenu Deposit Scheme (Re-Investment Plan)
Children’s Savings Accounts from Union Bank of India
Union Bank does not offer a dedicated children’s account. However, minors can have accounts under its Regular Savings Account and Union Family Savings Scheme products. From a reading of the website, it seems minors can also open an account through parent or guardian under the Union Flexi Savings Deposit and Union Flexi Plus Savings Deposit schemes.
Regular Savings Account
The standard savings account from the bank.
Features
- Can be opened by an individual for her child
- Just like adults, the child is entitled to receive a free chequebook of 20 leaves every year
- Allows students to keep the account with zero balance
Union Family Savings Scheme
A savings scheme under which up to 6 family members can open accounts.
Features
- The average quarterly balance for the entire group is Rs. 1 lakh
- Each account holder gets up to 2 chequebooks per account
- They also can make up to Rs. 20,000 in pay orders or demand drafts each month
- Each account holder can make ATM withdrawal or POS transaction of Rs. 25,000 each per day
- Family members who can be included in the account are parents, grandparents, spouse, sibling and children
Union Flexi Account and Union Flexi Plus Savings Deposit
These two are higher end savings accounts, which also come with sweep facilities to put the excess money in a fixed deposit once the transaction limit crosses a specified limit. Though the Union Bank website does not specifically mention that the accounts are available for minors, it does say that individuals can open the account.
Reference Facts
- Canara Bank Websites: www.canarabank.com/english/ and www.canarabank.in/ (net banking)
- Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka
- Call Centre Toll Free Number: 1800 425 0018
- Union Bank of India Website: www.unionbankofindia.co.in and www.unionbankonline.co.in (net banking)
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Call Centre Number: 1800 208 2244, 1800 22 2244