Topics | Small-Dollar Credit

Research Papers

Highlights from the 4th Annual Underbanked Financial Services Forum

The Underbanked Financial Services Forum has become a bellwether for the industry serving the underbanked. Judging by this year’s Fourth Annual Forum, presented by SourceMedia with the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), the industry is strong. Despite challenging times for the ...

21 pp.

Posted: August 2009

A Fundamental Need: Small-Dollar, Short-Term Credit

by Michael J. Herrmann and Jennifer Tescher

A dramatic series of events related to small-dollar value, short-term credit has unfolded over the last 18 months. Legislators, regulators, and the financial services industry have been closely scrutinizing the payday loan industry and creating market incentives for private-sector innovation. As a ...

23 pp.

Posted: July 2008

From the Margins to the Mainstream: A Guide to Building Products and Strategies for Underbanked Markets (for chapter links, see below)

The Retail Financial Services Initiative (RFSI) is a three-year project organized by NCIF that seeks to increase the quantity and quality of financial services for unbanked and low- to moderate-income consumers. Starting in October 2003, a group of banks and credit unions ...

Posted: November 11, 2005