June 10, 2008

Biz evolves - Ladies as recovery agents

This news/article that I read in the Economic Times[financial news] was really inspiring. It kind of set me thinking that how competitive things are in biz world. I will of course provide the link to this article but first I would like to share my thoughts that started criss-crossing my minding.
For last few months Indian who read newspapers and non Indian who track FI industry in the Indian market must have noticed how the Judicial system had come heavily on the high handed tactics that banks and lending institutions were employing for loan recovery. And with the number of such incidents appearing in media it's sure that this was definitely working for the lending institutions.
Now lets think of Indian society and how woman fair in the society in social and security sense. Some where I remember reading India was second most infamous country after South Africa when it cames to abuses against woman. Indian definitely know and understand what I am trying to convey. For NRIs and international readers of this post, I would post some links at the bottom of the post which will give you some idea about how women are placed in Indian society socially and from security point of view. There is no distant comparison even among workforce equality in terms of numbers in India and in defense, police and other private security industry women hardly have any presence.
Coming back to gist of this post which really set me thinking. I had never thought such a solution to the problem was possible. With Judicial system coming heavily on the high handedness of recovery agents and slapping multiple fines lending institutions were in problem. There was serious risk of high rise of problems in loan recovery and bad debt rise. Today I read in this article that woman have swapped placed for their male counterparts and new companies have opened to take over this bizes and they have providing great results. Lending institutions have got what they wanted and Indian economy has got what it wanted. Higher female participation in work force as opening of a new kind of service industry to the female work force.
Now how did the system worked out so well!!! What women did that was forcing men to use high handedness approach for the same job. It's a very common sense that it's not easy for anyone to make some one part with his money[read capital]. In India where judicial and political system is so slow and such that for the lenders it will take years for getting fair deal and outcome and by then they would be out of bizes because of loss of all invested capital as bad debts. A member of management of such a company which provides loan recovery bizes to FIs says that main reason for their business principle to work is "Our principle is persuasion is better than prosecution. We make defaulters understand the problems they may face if they don't pay". She further adds "Defaulters, who are generally men, find it embarrassing to be addressed by a woman and hasten to pay up large parts of the loan". She goes on to add "Those who find it easy to bribe male recovery agents realize that they can't do the same with women.".

Link to the post in TOI. Open it. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/Now_women_recovery_agents/articleshow/3115324.cms]

Some links about central bank and Indian courts coming down heavily on banks using muscle men for loan recovery.
(1) Central bank sets norm for loan recoveryOpen it.
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/File_Fresh_RBI_norms_to_rein_in_recovery_agents/articleshow/2586490.cms]
(2) ICICI Bank fined Rs 50 Lacs(INR 5 Million) Open it.
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/File_Loan_recovery_ICICI_fined_50_lakh_for_employing_goons/articleshow/2520118.cms]

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Really interesting. I saw another similar link in the mediahttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Banks_gear_up_for_agents_norms/articleshow/2506688.cms.