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Friends, Neighbours and Relatives
"Love thy Neighbour: Friends, Neighbours and Relatives as Credit Suppliers"
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F riends, relatives and neighbours as lenders and borrowers represent the simplest form of
an informal credit transaction. An individual in need of finance approaches a friend, relative or
neighbour and requests for funds.
The fact that both lender and borrower are well known to each
other, dispenses the need for most, if not all, traditional terms and conditions for a transaction:
ensuring repayability or credit worthiness, fixed and predetermined repayment amounts and schedules, collateral and guarantees etc. Such lenders are of course, single individual who provide loans on a need-based manner.
Credit given by them is loosely transacted on a one-to-one basis, without the involvement of any third parties. It is considered a favour' made for a
future reciprocation. There is close physical/psychological proximity between the lender and
borrower.
Literature Review of Friends, Relatives and Neighbours
| Issue |
Discussion |
References |
| Advantages of
friends, relatives
and neighbours |
- Terms and conditions imposed on the borrower
are very few, if none at all - usually with no
interest payments or regular repayment schedules
and transaction records are not made.
- While loans from friends, relatives and
neighbours imply an obligation, it is aligned along
traditional community links and personal
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networks.
Srinivas, 1991:
103 |
| Disadvantages
of friends,
relatives and
neighbours
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- The supply of loans is irregular and not always
available. That is, only when surplus funds are
available with the individual or only when
requested by a close friend/relative/neighbour, is
the loan made.
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Key Implications of friends, relatives and neighbours:
| - Simple terms and conditions that is understood by both lender and borrower - reduced
paperwork, less procedural needs for establishing credit worthiness etc.
- Respect for existing community linkages, organizing patterns and networks in
designing savings and credit programmes. This includes incorporating existing personal
information and knowledge available at the community level into such programmes.
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