Using Environmental and Social Information in Lending Decisions

Abstract

There is no doubt that collecting and analysing information is the key element in the process of decision making. Lending decisions, taken by banks, are not exception. In order to ensure that lending decisions are serving banks' goals, the process of taking such decisions involves, inter alia, gathering and analysing information about the prospective and actual clients, who are seeking loans. Such information is mainly related to the financial performance of banks' clients. The recent trend of considering information other than financial one, particularly in developed countries, seems to be basically enforced, rather than promoted, by power of the law. This can be noted in the increasing interest of banks in environmental information, while social information is still, to some extent, far from the attention of such banks. Other factors, such as religious instructions are suggested to play a role in encouraging banks to consider social information. In the case of developing countries, social and environmental information alike seems to be out of banks attention due to many factors including the absence of related laws and the weakness of desire and capacity for enforcing such laws in case of their existence. This article tries to provide more explanation for these points.