I’ve known anecdotally that banks push customers towards products. That they hardsell products which fetch them the highest commissions. That they tie bank facilities such as lockers to fixed deposit balances and buying insurance policies. But to experience it myself was an entirely different thing. It was a simple visit to my bank branches to open a Public Provident Fund (PPF) account, which once again put into focus the way financial products are being sold by banks. Here’s how the conversations went with relationship managers (RMs) at the two banks I visited.