How does a Citibank loan officer calculate the risk of a loan to a seemingly successful Bolivian bank - whose clients are some of the poorest people in one of the poorest countries on the face of the earth?
How does a Citibank loan officer calculate the risk of a loan to a seemingly successful Bolivian bank - whose clients are some of the poorest people in one of the poorest countries on the face of the earth?
In 1997 a Citibank lending officer encountered an atypical loan application that proposed the securitization of a portfolio of small loans from Bolivia, a poor South American country. The bank offering the transaction was Banco Solidario S.A. of Bolivia (BancoSol). It had only been formed in 1992, yet by 1997 its 85,000 borrowers represented nearly 30 of the customers serviced by the entire Bolivian banking system. It seemed to defy economies of scale: despite having an average loan size of only $828, BancoSol appeared to be one of the most profitable banks in South America. In this case, students are asked to examine Bolivian economic statistics, Banco Sol client profiles, the terms and conditions of typical Banco Sol loan contracts, and Banco Sol's operation statistics and financial statements in order to determine the associated risk of granting such a loan.