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Upturn Of Alternative Finance Institutions And Prepaid Cards

December 10th, 2010

Do you have a bank account?

In the current world of online banking and high technology it is unheard of not to have an account. How can you function without a bank account? There are millions of people that conduct their financial business every day by utilizing alternative financial institutions.

The Center For Financial Services Innovation estimated that there are over 40 million U.S. households, about 106 million Americans, that are underbanked consumers. CFSI added that this sector of the market spends over $13 billion on approximately 340 million transactions. These consumers patronize local companies for their financial needs such as check cashing, money orders, bill payment and international remittances.The mainstream banks have previously overlooked this market . There is a stigma or perhaps a prejudice at the root of the decision making by senior bank executives. Consumers in this market are seen as poor, immigrant, living in underserved neighborhoods, no social security numbers and no legitimate papers.

Mainstream banks have finally seen the writing on the wall. And that writing says big profits. They are examining several profit centers.

Prepaid cards.

In 2007 the Federal Reserve Payments Study estimated the over $26.76 billion was loaded onto 45 million prepaid cards in 2006.Since 2006 the prepaid card market has exploded. The Mercator Advisory Group, a leading research company in this area, released the Seventh Annual Open-Loop Prepaid Market Assessment study in August 2010. It showed that in 2009 the total load for all the prepaid card segments was $330.03 billion.

Government agencies have embraced the prepaid card market and see it as a safe channel to get money to American consumer who desperately need help. Social Security benefits are being loaded onto prepaid cards. Unemployment benefits are also loaded onto a prepaid card.

Small dollar credit.

Typically loans under $1,000 that are made to consumers and businesses are considered small dollar credit. To rate the credit risk, a lender would ask for a report from a company such as RentBureau, Pay Rent or Build Credit. The borrower would most likely not have a report with any of the traditional credit bureaus. If by chance there is a credit report it might be incomplete and lacking a history, or simple derogatory. Consumers need this service to fund purchases that require more than one pay check, or to meet emergencies.

Alternative credit.

Pay day lending brings in over $2 billion in fees on loan volume of $12 billion. Add cash checking fees of about $1.5 billion and we can see how attraction this market has become.

Local and international remittances.

Remittances account for about $50 billion annually and the fees generated are about $3 billion.Visa, Mastercard and Discovery see potential in the unbanked market, specifically the prepaid cards, and have lent their brands to the cards. This is a booming endorsement. We can expect more global companies to jump on the bandwagon in the near future.

Europe has shown tremendous growth in prepaid cards alone. The market is currently $22 billion annually. By 2017 this figure will explode to $156 billion according to a study by Boston Consulting Group. I might add that the study was commissioned by MasterCard Worldwide.

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prepaid credit card

Facts About Prepaid Debit Cards In European Countries

November 19th, 2010

Prepaid cards are actually quite popular for European people nowadays. It is just like the conventional credit cards or debit cards provided by most popular and trusted companies like Visa, MasterCard and American Express

To understand the different cards, let us discuss what these cards are. In general, credit cards are cards that enable you to pay for your current acquisitions and you get a monthly bill in return. It’s important to pay before its due date to avoid any overtime fees.

Exactly what is a prepaid charge card? The prepaid credit card does not have any borrowing limit thus you have to put in or load the card with cash before it is possible to use it. Because these cards don’t come with any kind of credit ability this way you no longer need any evidence of income for getting approved|your approval is guaranteed without any credit check}. To make it simple, prepaid cards are generally plastic cards lacking the main advantage of credit capability. These plastic cards sometimes are also called secured credit cards. The card owner must definitely load the prepaid card with some money just before he or she can work with it. When funds are getting poor then all you need to do will be transfer money into the card for ongoing usage.

Prepaid credit cards in European countries are not that popular in some places just like Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and Germany. Doing some research (in German: prepaid kreditkarten im vergleich) in Holland prepaid cards are rarely used, they prefer another method known as the PIN transaction. In Belgium a similar system is well established so prepaid cards usually aren’t all-round there.

In Germany prepaid cards are mostly applied by individuals with bad credit ranking and teenagers from 14 years old and older but nonetheless with the agreement of the moms and dads. This is one way of parents to train their child in handling his or her monetary resource. Prepaid cards are more popular among most of the young people today in Germany. On the other hand, the United Kingdom is the country in Europe where prepaid credit cards are very popular.

Without a doubt prepaid credit cards are becoming more and more popular these days. Even though the concept is available since the 90′s, it was only nowadays that prepaid credit cards have become well established. Prepaid cards come with a lot of features card holder can benefit from. Especially for people who want to shop online can do it more secure and comfortable. It is also a solution for those who are planning to travel into foreign countries. As an alternative to taking massive amount of dollars during your trip, you only need to take your prepaid card with you and it is your pass in any hotel, restaurants, gas stations or malls. Without any doubt a prepaid card is the safest way to pay for all your expenses.

The huge benefits it brings are actually matchless and what is the best thing about it? There is no need to worry about regular bills since you are able to shell out only your money you have transferred before to the card account. You can be assured of not running into credit card debt. Beyond any doubt this is the best choice instead of the standard piece of plastic.

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