FormantAI
RBI recovery agent guidelines, in plain language.
What every collection call must respect — whether a person or an AI agent makes it.
Who the guidelines apply to
The Reserve Bank of India's directions on recovery agents apply to banks and other regulated entities — including NBFCs — and to the agencies and agents they engage. The lender stays responsible for how its agents behave, including outsourced agencies. RBI first issued guidelines on recovery agents in 2008 and extended and tightened them for all regulated entities in August 2022.
The core rules
Calling hours
Borrowers must not be called before 8:00 am or after 7:00 pm.
No harassment or intimidation
No threats, verbal or physical, no abusive language, no humiliating the borrower publicly, no intruding on the privacy of family members, referees or friends, and no inappropriate messages on mobile or social media.
Identification
The borrower must be told which agency or agent is acting for the lender. Agents must identify themselves and carry the lender's authorisation.
Trained agents
Banks are expected to use recovery agents who have completed prescribed training and certification (the IIBF debt recovery agent course).
Grievance redressal
Borrowers can complain to the lender's grievance officer about agent conduct. Unresolved complaints can be taken to the RBI Integrated Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in.
Same rules. Enforced in code.
An AI agent calling on your behalf is held to the same standard. The difference is that it can prove it followed them, on every call.
| Rule | How FormantAI enforces it |
|---|---|
| Calling hours | Calls blocked outside the permitted window, per customer time zone |
| Identification | Disclosure line spoken verbatim at the start — frozen, version-locked, never learned |
| Third parties | Identity verified before any loan detail; nothing disclosed to anyone else |
| Conduct | Tone policy per bucket; no threat or pressure language can be generated |
| Distress & disputes | Detected and warm-transferred to a trained person with the transcript |
| Evidence | Every turn logged with the rule it was checked against — exportable for audit |
This guide summarises public regulation for practical use and is not legal advice. Check the latest circulars and your own compliance team before relying on it.