Credit Unions: Filling Finance Gaps in Rural Communities

The Hawker Inquiry (1999) investigated the provision of regional financial services in Australia and was principally concerned with the economic and social effects of the current redistribution of the delivery of banking services. The establishment of credit unions in rural communities has been seen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic analysis and policy 1999-09, Vol.29 (2), p.173-186
Main Authors: Ralston, Deborah, Beal, Diana J.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The Hawker Inquiry (1999) investigated the provision of regional financial services in Australia and was principally concerned with the economic and social effects of the current redistribution of the delivery of banking services. The establishment of credit unions in rural communities has been seen as one means to fill the financial services gap when banks close. This paper reports in detail the contribution made by the entry of credit unions to four rural communities after, variously, 10-22 months of establishment. Additionally, the paper comments on some of the institutional barriers which have prevented credit unions from providing a full range of financial services and warns that credit unions will not survive within these communities if they are unable in the longer term to attract sufficient loans business.
ISSN:0313-5926
DOI:10.1016/S0313-5926(99)50019-2