Title

Credit Information Systems in Less Developed Countries: A Test with Microfinance in Guatemala

Authors

Jill Luoto
Craig McIntosh
Bruce Wydick, University of San FranciscoFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2007

Abstract

Increases in formal sector lending among the poor have created a need for credit information systems that provide potential lenders both positive and negative data about borrowers. In this paper we provide an overview of the development and use of credit information systems in industrialized and developing countries. The paper subsequently presents a test of the effects of a newly implemented credit information system using fixed effects estimation on panel data from Guatemala. Results indicate that improved screening effects from the system caused the level of portfolio arrears to decline between 2 and 3.5 percentage points six months after it was implemented in branch offices.

Comments

This work was published by The University of Chicago Press http://www.press.uchicago.edu/index.html

This work is accessible at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/508714

DOI

10.1086/508714

Recommended Citation

Jill Luoto, Craig McIntosh, Bruce Wydick. Credit Information Systems in Less Developed Countries: A Test with Microfinance in Guatemala. Economic Development and Cultural Change (January 2007), vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 313-334. DOI: 10.1086/508714