Background

Pan American Bank was a regulated bank that operated in rural Latin American markets and some urban centers. They took deposits from landowners and lent primarily to MSME and informal businesses. Most borrowers were directly connected to agriculture (farming, processing, shipping, storage) or dependent on the Ag economy (irrigation, equipment and maintenance, supplies). The sector was greatly underserved by traditional banks, who struggled to lend at rates beneficial to most businesses.

Pan American Bank has since been acquired by Beneficial State Bank.

Challenge

  • Many customers were undocumented or poorly documented
  • Many customers had limited or no formal borrowing experience
  • Education attainment and literacy was limited
  • Financial bookkeeping was modest, at best
  • Agricultural cycles drove repayment potential and caused poor assessment by conventional underwriting models
  • PD was nearly 8%, creating need for swift action

Solution

A fully digital LOS with full integration into the bank’s core and external data sources was developed with full offer optimization. We installed account management tools, enabling the bank to identify and engage at-risk accounts before evidence of delinquency. Models reflected market economics and produced P&Ls and cashflows, so the system fully supported IFRS and even drove account-level stress tests.

Results

  • PD dropped from 8% to 2%
  • Look to book increased from 12% to 70%
  • Improved data collection led to better models, higher profitability
  • Economically driven loan collections shifted focus from naïve timing to full timely repayment and optimal risk mitigation
  • Highly automated support agents and instant funding for indirect equipment loans outside the bank’s own network
  • High compliance assured by automated regulatory reporting and inclusion testing 
  • Low losses and high efficiency enable the bank to profitably lend at interest rates that were previously unattainable

Epilogue

The program was so successful that two multinational lenders threatened to retaliate for Pan American Bank poaching their best customers.