Posts by Adrian Davies

The average age of a credit union loan applicant in Northern Ireland is 44 years. In Great Britain, it’s 38. That six-year gap isn’t just a statistic; it’s a warning sign. A membership that skews older isn’t standing still. Older members borrow less, save more, and eventually stop needing financial services altogether. A credit union…

Every loan application that doesn’t complete is a missed opportunity, for the member who needed credit, and for the credit union trying to grow its loan book. Withdrawal rate is the metric that captures this attrition. Critically, for many credit unions it’s quietly undermining growth in ways that don’t always get the attention they deserve.…

Credit builder loans can help members improve their credit score. The reality is a 15% accept rate and little improvement on scores in the short term. But the problem isn’t the product. It’s the approach. One name, three markets 3.2 million UK adults have adverse credit history including CCJs or defaults. 1.5 million have what…

Payroll deduction allows employees to repay loans directly from wages before they hit their bank account. It’s a simple mechanism that can drive growth, provided the balance between risk and reward is struck. Importantly the data shows that a loan repaid via payroll isn’t a guarantee of success for either the lender (bad debt) or…

To optimise lending and grow the loan book isn’t a single goal.  Loan growth is the outcome of dozens of underlying drivers working together. How quickly do applications move through the system? What proportion of members complete the process versus walking away? How often do decisions require manual intervention? How does your lending policy and…