Bangalore: The Reserve Bank has hiked bank rate for Primary (urban) Co-operative Banks by 3.5 percent to 9.5 percent with effective from February 13, 2012. "...It is determined that the bank rate should normally stay aligned to the MSF (marginal standing facility) rate. "Accordingly, it has been decided that with effect from the close of business of February 13, 2012, the bank rate (for UCBs) will stand increased by 350 basis points, from 6 per cent per annum to 9.50 percent per annum," RBI said in a notification today. As the bank rate is a discount rate, "it should technically be higher than the policy repo rate," said a notification issued to CEOs of all Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks. The RBI repo rate currently stands at 8.5 percent while reverse repo rate is at 7.5 percent. Bank rate is the standard rate at which the Reserve Bank buys or re-discount bills of exchange or other commercial paper. It is used as a penal rate which the banks have to pay for their failure to meet the mandatory Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR). Earlier on February 13, 2012, RBI had increased the bank rate for all scheduled commercial banks to 9.5 percent from 6 percent, after a gap of nine years. The bank rate has been kept unchanged at 6 percent since April 2003.