When household emergencies strike or there’s not enough in the bank to make it to the next paycheck, some families turn to small-dollar credit—small loans from alternative financial service (AFS) providers, such as payday lenders or pawnshops, or from mainstream sources.  In October 2014, the...

This report provides an overview of the payday lending landscape in British Columbia compared to the rest of the country and explores the underlying factors contributing to the growth of the industry in recent years. It puts forth a series of recommendations to help ensure consumers have access to...

This brief is the joint submission of the Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN), Momentum Calgary, SEED Winnipeg, Social and Enterprise Development Innovations (SEDI), and St. Christopher House in Toronto – five non-profit organizations working to strengthen the financial inclusion and...

BDSC firms are using varied forms of non-traditional data—from mobile call data records and bill payments to Internet browsing patterns and social media behaviour—to create a new way to assess consumer risk, determine the creditworthiness of previously “invisible” consumers, and...

This paper examines small-dollar credit alternatives to the current payday-loan product in the province of Alberta. While we recognize that most people have credit requirements from time to time, the unbanked and underbanked who can least afford to do so are forced to obtain credit under the...

Millions of small-dollar credit borrowers are set back by predatory lending practices. There is a critical need for high-quality products designed for both borrower success and lender profitability. This report shares an analysis of practices of 16 installment lenders that have adopted some of the...

This Guide seeks to define characteristics of a high- quality small-dollar credit product. It does not assume, however, that credit is the answer for every consumer. When people who face a chronic income shortfall or who already have debts they cannot manage use credit to meet their basic needs,...

For unbanked and underbanked borrowers, ncome supports, budgeting guidance, and additional savings will not entirely fill the need that credit satisfies. First, well-structured credit can support a household’s ability to save. Second, building a credit history is a critical financial asset in its...

The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), with support from the Ford Foundation, has undertaken extensive consumer research to examine the needs, decisions, and experiences of SDC consumers, with the goal of promoting the development of high quality SDC solutions. As CFSI defines it,...

The Center for Financial Services Innovation is an authority on consumer financial health, leading a network of financial services innovators committed to building better consumer products and practices. The CFSI applied their four Compass Principles (Embrace inclusion, Build trust, Promote...

We can educate consumers and provide access to financial products and services. But how do we help consumers use their knowledge and tools to improve their financial behaviour and become financially healthy? With six stories and thirteen project profiles, Designing for Financial Health, leverages...

EPIC’s first issue brief, “Income Volatility: A Primer,” was a comprehensive literature review of what is known about the prevalence, causes, and impacts of income volatility. This second brief looks at managing income volatility at both the household and societal levels. It presents a...

Simply doing away with payday loans will help some, but it will also hurt others. To truly improve the small dollar credit market, increased access to well-structured and more affordable small dollar credit (what this paper refers to as enabling small-dollar credit) is vital. Building an enabling...