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Unbanked and Underbanked Americans - Who Are They?

Posted by Wendell Brock on Thu, Dec 03, 2009

The U.S. Census Bureau conducted a National survey this year on behalf of the FDIC to ascertain the level of Unbanked and Underbanked households in the United States. The survey was designed to help the FDIC understand who is outside the banking system. The study which is the most comprehensive to date, reveals that just over a fourth (25.6 percent) of the households in the U.S. are unbanked or underbanked and those households are largely low-income and/or minority.

The survey additionally collected more accurate estimates of the Unbanked and Underbanked Households, and reasons why the people remain unbanked or underbanked. The survey estimates, represent the first time this kind of data has been collected in large metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), states, and across the nation.

"Access to an account at a federally insured institution provides households with an important first step toward achieving financial security - the opportunity to conduct basic financial transactions, save for emergency and long-term security needs, and access credit on affordable terms," stated Sheila Bair, Chairman of the FDIC. "By better understanding the households that make up this group - who they are and their reasons for being unbanked or underbanked, we will be better positioned to help them take that first step."

Terms

Unbanked is determined by households who answered "no" to the question "Do you or does anyone in your household currently have a checking or a savings account?"

Underbanked households were determined by those who have a checking or savings account but rely on alternative financial services. Specifically, using money orders, nonbank check-cashing services, payday loans, rent-to-own agreements, or pawn shops at least once or twice a year or tax refund anticipation loans at least once in the past five years.

Key Findings of the Study

  • Of the households surveyed, 7.7 percent were unbanked, which translates nationally to 9 million households - approximately 17 million adults. An additional 17.9 percent - or 21 million households nationally (approximately 43 million adults) - were found to be underbanked.
  • The proportion of U.S. households that are unbanked varies considerably across racial and ethnic groups with certain racial and ethnic groups being more likely to be unbanked than the population as a whole. Minorities more likely to be unbanked include blacks (21.7 percent of black households), Hispanics (19.3 percent), and American Indian/Alaskans (15.6 percent). Racial groups less likely to be unbanked are Asians (3.5 percent) and whites (3.3 percent).
  • Certain racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to be underbanked than the population as a whole. Minorities more likely to be underbanked include blacks (an estimated 31.6 percent), American Indian/Alaskans (28.9 percent), and Hispanics (24.0 percent). Asians and whites are less likely to be underbanked (7.2 percent and 14.9 percent, respectively).
  • Households with income under $30,000 account for at least 71 percent of unbanked households. As income increases, the share of households that are unbanked declines considerably. Nationally, nearly 20 percent of lower-income U.S. households - almost 7 million households earning below $30,000 per year - do not currently have a bank account. In contrast, only 4.2 percent of households with annual income between $30,000 and $50,000 and less than 1 percent of households with yearly income of $75,000 or higher are unbanked.
  • Households with an annual income between $30,000 and $50,000 are almost as likely as lower-income households to be underbanked.

This survey goes hand in hand with a survey the FDIC conducted earlier in the year of bankers efforts to serve the unbanked and underbanked households in their community, see FDIC's Unbanked Survey. The survey is of such important information to the FDIC that they created a special website to display the findings at online at www.economicinclusion.gov.

It appears that the unbanked and underbanked households are close to the same number of estimates of those without proper medical insurance. Is there a correlation here? Is this something congress should be addressing - making sure that every American has proper banking and financial services?

Topics: FDIC, underserved communities, underserved areas, Pay Day Loans, Banking, Unbanked customers, FDIC’s, Unbanked, Underbnked, banker's survey

Marketing to the Underbanked

Posted by Wendell Brock on Thu, Aug 20, 2009

Underserved and underbanked communities are well documented in the banking industry: the FDIC and others have published numerous reports, surveys and case studies on the topic. And, the FFIEC produces an annual list of underbanked communities, segmented by county and state.

As capital flows into the banking industry via bank acquisitions, many new business plans are incorporating programs to attract and retain underserved/underbanked consumers. Some bank acquirers are even selecting target banks based on their locations relative to known underserved communities.

Creating a plan


A bank purchase, like a bank start-up, has a rigorous regulatory approval process. Part of that process involves documenting and defending a viable business and marketing plan for the target institution. This is no small undertaking, particularly when an underserved community is being addressed. Studies have repeatedly shown that underserved consumers do not respond consistently to traditional bank marketing programs.

Earlier this year, the FDIC completed a survey to identify initiatives and programs that had successfully attracted underserved consumers. Effective outreach efforts incorporated the following actions:

•    Early identification of suitable underserved populations
•    Early commitment to serve the targeted underserved population
•    Launch of educational programs, teaching consumers about managing their finances
•    Partnership with established community organizations
•    Off-site outreach visits and programs (at high schools and/or community organizations)
•    Providing educational pamphlets and brochures
•    Marketing specifically to certain demographics (such as Hispanic Americans)
•    Empowering bank employees to welcome underbanked customers  

The FDIC study concludes that educational programs, community partnership and off-site visits are among the most effective strategies. Subjects most commonly addressed in educational sessions are basic banking and savings programs. While the development of financial pamphlets and brochures is a popular strategy among banks, it is not considered one of the most effective methods.   

Widening the service set


An effective underserved outreach program must also include the establishment of services for noncustomers, such as:

•    Check cashing
•    Money orders
•    Bill-pay
•    Reloadable, prepaid cash cards

A challenge in offering these services to noncustomers is setting effective identification policies. Underserved customers are less likely to have traditional forms of I.D., such as a driver’s license or state-issued I.D. card. Also, the goal in developing relationships with noncustomers is to transition them into accountholder status over time. Banks must therefore establish identification policies for account openings as well. Lack of identification is a common reason new account applications are denied. Other reasons include negative results on a check screen and a low credit score.

Assuming noncustomers can be converted to accountholders, these entry-level customers will also have specialized service needs. Banking services to consider for this customer segment include:

•    Checking and savings accounts with no balance requirements
•    Accounts with less severe overdraft penalties
•    Short-term, unsecured loan facilities with specialized eligibility requirements

For further insights on working with underserved customers, read the full FDIC survey, available here: http://www.fdic.gov/unbankedsurveys/unbankedstudy/FDICBankSurvey_Report.pdf

Topics: underserved communities, underserved areas, Unbanked customers, Bank Marketing

Building Stronger Communities through Bank Acquisitions

Posted by Wendell Brock on Thu, Aug 13, 2009

The decision to acquire a bank in an underserved community is ultimately based on the investment value of the target bank. But determining that investment value is a tricky proposition; a low-income neighborhood may not offer much appeal currently, but infuse that low-income neighborhood with capital, and the situation might look quite different.

Residents of underbanked communities typically have their financial needs fulfilled by payday loan stores, check cashing establishments, and even unlicensed predatory lenders. The expense associated with these services creates inefficiencies in the cycling of cash within the community. In other words, predatory lenders can drain more money out of the community—through high finance and service charges—than they put into it.

A banking institution, however, can have the opposite effect. When a bank reaches out to underbanked consumers and educates them on the advantages of keeping a deposit account, that bank is also compiling assets that will be returned to the community in the form of loans. Those lend-able funds are the building blocks of home ownership and local business development.

Financial education creates financial efficiencies


Studies have repeatedly shown that financial education is a huge component of attracting and retaining underbanked consumers. A bank that operates effectively in a previously underserved community isn’t limited to showing consumers how to reduce their finance charges, however. The bank can also initiate programs to help consumers develop more efficient budgeting, spending, savings and even tax planning habits. Over time, those cumulative household savings can also be directed back into the community, through discretionary spending.

With a creative vision and effective outreach and education programs, then, a newly acquired bank can anchor a turnaround within an underserved community.

Overcoming the failures of previous banks


The challenges in initiating such a turnaround are large, but not insurmountable. If the target bank is already located within the underserved community, the bank organizers need to understand why that institution wasn’t previously effective. The product and service set, the brand image and the marketing programs (to name a few) need to be overhauled to address the needs and wants of local consumers.

If the target bank is to be relocated to the underserved area, the bank organizers must try to gain some insight from the history of banking in that community. Did previous banks or branches fail? If so, why?

Underserved communities and unbanked consumers obviously aren’t the low-hanging fruit of the banking industry. However, initiating real and positive change within a community is an endeavor that can be both rewarding and profitable. And, because there are many underserved locales in the U.S., the group of bank organizers that defines a workable model for one community has ample opportunity to roll out variations of that model to other areas.

Next week, we’ll discuss marketing strategies for attracting and retaining underbanked consumers.

Topics: bank buy out, Bank Opportunities, Community Bank, failed banks, Buy a bank, mergers and Aquisistions, underserved communities, bank acquisition, Bank Buyers, bank aquisition, underserved areas

Identifying Opportunity

Posted by Wendell Brock on Thu, Jun 18, 2009

Acquiring a bank with an eye on making an impact in underserved customer groups  

Bank investors and organizing groups know that to be successful in today’s environment, a different type of strategy is required. Acquiring a financial institution with an unhealthy balance sheet and anemic profit potential taps more than investors’ wallets; it can tap their creativity too. One challenge lies in developing a business strategy that can win, and keep, new customers.

Untapped potential

Lena Robinson, of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, identifies four areas of untapped customer potential for the banking industry: the unbanked, underserved, emerging and immigrant markets. Unbanked consumers are those who have no existing banking relationship. Underserved consumers maintain only a checking account. Emerging consumers who use minimal banking products, but could be ready for more sophisticated debt or investment services. And immigrant consumers are generally migrant workers who have historically been unresponsive to traditional bank marketing initiatives. All of these segments represent opportunity for a newly acquired bank to create value. (http://www.frbsf.org/publications/community/investments/0311/article1.html)

Rewriting the rules

The FDIC’s survey on banks’ efforts to serve unbanked and underbanked consumers, published in February, indicates that addressing these segments efficiently has long been a problem for the banking industry. (http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2009/pr09015.html) Unbanked consumers are hard to locate and not generally interested in traditional banking products and services. Underserved, emerging and immigrant consumers may be more open to the idea of banking, but they have often have little money and minimal interest in borrowing. Those two characteristics are problematic for the traditional banking business model, which emphasizes deposits and lending.

Because these untapped segments aren’t well addressed by traditional banking operations, efforts to court them must take a different approach. This approach should:  

•    Clearly identify the wants, needs and aspirations of customer being targeted
•    Involve the creation of specialized products and services that match those customer needs, and distribution channels to match those customers’ lifestyles
•    Incorporate innovative outreach programs to establish lines of communication with those target customers
•    Find a way to develop trust among consumers who may be leery of financial institutions in general
•    Consider the development of new ways to measure creditworthiness; consumers in untapped segments may not “pass” traditional credit tests
•    Address the profit challenge associated with serving customers who aren’t likely to produce large deposits or request large borrowing facilities

In the introduction to Untapped: Creating value in underserved markets, (http://ca.csrwire.com/pdf/Untapped-excerpt.pdf) authors John Weiser, Michele Kahane, Steve Rochlin and Jessica Landis recommend businesses focus on creating win/win situations—where value is generated for the community and for the business. They also argue that it’s important for businesses to create strong partnerships with other organizations that can bring new insights and knowledge to the outreach effort.

As the banking industry continues to evolve through this period of change, new management teams and investors have the opportunity to create a new kind of value. To date, the banking industry has struggle to realize the potential in these segments—but if there ever was a time for change, it is now.  

Next week, we’ll discuss specific geographies where these underserved groups are likely to exist, as well as how you can use that information to target your bank acquisition search.

Topics: underserved communities, bank acquisition, banking opportunity, bank investors, buying a bank

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