Full Disclosure
A comparison of US and UK lending practices in disadvantaged communities
16 December 2006
UK banks could be doing much more to help some of the poorest people in the UK, simply by being clear and open about where they do business.
The report provides the first detailed comparison with the US, where banks have disclosed detailed information since the mid-1970s. It shows how information revealed by the banks has been used to combat financial exclusion in some of the most deprived areas of the US, and has played a pivotal role in ensuring that over US$4.2 trillion of loans and credit reach people living in low income areas.
NEF believes that bank disclosure in the UK could prompt a real shift in the way banks view, act in and invest in some of the UK’s most disadvantaged areas.
