Mumbai, April 29 :    Mumbai, April 29:  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today asked banks to come out with information on the rates of interest actually charged and paid to ensure borrowers and depositors can secure a fair deal. They have been told to declare the maximum spread over their prime lending rate - a benchmark rate at which banks would normally lend to their best clients - for all loans and advances, other than consumer credit. 'Banks should obtain the approval of their boards for the maximum spread over the prime lending rate,' the RBI said. A mid-term review made in October 1996 had revealed that 'many banks are charging lending rates far higher than the PLR on a significant portion of bank credit to borrowers with credit limits of over Rs 2 lakh'. Recent reports suggest that the spreads - the difference between a notional rate and the actual rate of interest paid - above PLR have widened substantially in some banks. 'In the present interest rate environment, it is not reasonable to keep very high spreads over PLR,' the Reserve Bank said in a statement. Banks have been advised to take a fresh look at spreads and reduce them if they are high, so that credit is available to borrowers at reasonable interest rates. 'Spreads have increased. We want to put it on the table so that borrowers can go to somebody who gives competitive rates,' RBI governor Bimal Jalan told reporters after the monetary policy was announced. He parried questions on what a 'normal' spread should be, but indicated that the largest bank in the country (read State Bank) has a figure less than 4 per cent.