Editing a KCC Sanction Letter
The agricultural finance department of a district cooperative bank has drafted the following letter to a farmer whose Kisan Credit Card limit has been sanctioned:
'Respected sir, With reference to your application dated 12 May, we are please to inform that your Kisan Credit Card limit of Rs 2.50 lakh has been sanctioned. The limit is valid for five years and subject to annual review. You may avail the facility by presenting this letter at any our branches. Please note that interest subvention will be allowed only if you repay within due date. Kindly ensure that the card is not misuse and that all transaction are recorded. For any clarification, you may contact the undersigned.'
The branch manager wants the letter corrected and shortened before dispatch. He also wants the tone checked because the letter will be sent to a borrower who has mortgaged land and who may not read English fluently. The bank's style guide requires formal, simple English and one idea per sentence.
1. Identify five grammatical or usage errors in the draft and give the corrected form and the reason for each correction.
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- 'we are please' → 'we are pleased'. 'Please' is a verb/imperative; the adjective 'pleased' is required after 'are'.
- 'at any our branches' → 'at any of our branches' (or 'at any branch'). A determiner cannot follow 'any' without 'of'.
- 'within due date' → 'by the due date'. A deadline takes 'by'; 'within' would need a period such as 'within 30 days'.
- 'the card is not misuse' → 'the card is not misused'. The passive requires the past participle.
- 'all transaction are recorded' → 'all transactions are recorded'. 'All' with a countable noun takes a plural noun and a plural verb.
2. Rewrite the letter in 60–80 words in formal, simple English, keeping all key information and removing redundancy.
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Dear Sir/Madam,
We are pleased to inform you that your Kisan Credit Card limit of Rs 2.50 lakh has been sanctioned. The limit is valid for five years and will be reviewed every year. You may use the facility at any of our branches by presenting this letter. Interest subvention will be allowed only if you repay by the due date. Please ensure that the card is not misused and that all transactions are recorded. For clarification, contact the undersigned.
3. Is the sentence 'The limit is valid for five years and subject to annual review' ambiguous? Rewrite it to remove ambiguity and explain your reasoning.
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Yes. The sentence can mean either that the five-year validity is subject to annual review or that the amount is reviewed annually while validity remains five years. Rewrite: 'The limit is valid for five years. The sanctioned amount will be reviewed every year.' This separates validity from amount review and removes the ambiguity. In a sanction letter, ambiguity about whether the limit can be reduced at review is material to the borrower.