Changes in Entry/Exit Load rules of Mutual Funds

In line with the removal of entry load to an investor who is directly investing in a mutual fund (Read more about it at No More Entry Loan when investing directly), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has asked fund house 'not to charge' entry and exit load on bonus units and units allotted on reinvestment of dividend, with effect from April 1 2008.

An entry load is charged when an investor enters a mutual fund scheme. For redemptions made thereafter, investors are charged an exit load by the fund house. In the case of the dividend reinvestment option, the investor is assigned units for dividend that is re-invested in the scheme.

At times, the fund manager converts earnings from the scheme into units and distributes them as bonus units to the investors. These bonus units are then charged entry load and exit load.

The logical argument made against charging such loads is that it is investor's money that has contributed to the earnings and that investors are not entering the scheme afresh, so charging an entry load does not make any sense.