Underbanked and Unbanked Consumers in the U.S.: Successfully Targeting Consumers of Alternative Financial Services

Published: July 2011
No. of Pages: 167
  

Report Summary

Underbanked and Unbanked Consumers in the U.S. provides market size, industry and product revenue forecasts and analyzes the legislative and regulatory challenges driving the growth of alternative financial services (AFS). Increasingly, these products are seen as a viable alternative to banks by the 26% of U.S. households that are underbanked or unbanked.

This report analyzes the retail financial services activities and the macro and micro economic trends that have resulted in the percentage of households that are unbanked to rise for the first time since the Federal government began tracking consumer banking relationships. It also provides detailed demographic portraits of both underbanked and unbanked consumers while diving deeply into their financial behaviors and consumer psychographics. These consumers, buffeted by both the economy and the profit maximization strategies of retail banks, have been prime targets of non-traditional financial services providers offering transparent pricing, convenient retail locations and bespoke products that can be used according to the consumers’ needs and preferences.

The report examines the efforts of banks and non-banks to market to underbanked and unbanked consumers and provides analysis of AFS pure-play and retailer product introductions, feature enhancements and pricing strategies.

The report also delves deeply into AFS initiatives in international markets and focuses on the technologies, new products, marketing and branch-level strategies realizing success abroad and transforming vendors and institutions into must-knowns to U.S. bank executives, AFS strategists and industry regulators.

Underbanked and Unbanked Consumers in the U.S. presents historical data and 5-year revenue forecasts for the alternative financial services market and each major AFS product: Prepaid cards, remittances, money orders, check cashing and payday lending. We anticipate those revenues increasing from $338 billion in 2010 to $520 billion in 2015.

About the Author: Elizabeth Rowe was the Group Director of Banking Advisory Services at Mercator Advisory Group, a banking and payments consultancy. Previously, she was the senior banking consultant at Guideline, Inc., a consultancy/business advisory firm. For the past 17 years, she has worked with the nation's largest banks, retailers and solutions providers as they assess emerging consumer, technological, regulatory and competitive challenges, trends and opportunities. She has taught at the ABA School of Bank Card Management and frequently speaks at industry, federal regulator and client conferences. She has been widely quoted in the financial press including The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, American Banker, Forbes, Independent Banker and CNN.

Underbanked and Unbanked Consumers in the U.S.: Successfully Targeting Consumers of Alternative Financial Services

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter1:ExecutiveSummary
ScopeandMethodology
ReportMethodology

CharacteristicsofUnderbankedandUnbankedConsumers
WhoAretheUnbanked?
WhichUnbankedHouseholdsCanBecomeBanked?
WhyDon’tUnbankedHaveaBankAccount?
TheGrowingRanksoftheUnbanked
WhoAretheUnderbanked?
SpottingtheUnderbanked
BabyBoomersandSeniorsHeavilyRepresentedAmongUnderbanked
AlternativeFinancialServicesProductsUsedbyUnderbanked
BankingIndustryTrendsDrovetheGrowthintheNumberofUnderbankedHouseholds?
StateoftheEconomyIsGrowingtheRanksoftheUnderbanked
EconomicPressuresonWorkingAmericansHaveIncreased
Long-TermUnemployment
HealthInsuranceCostsAreRising
Bankruptcy
Foreclosures
DecliningRealIncomes
NumberofAmericansLivingPaycheck-to-PaycheckIncreases53%
TheOverallU.S.Economy-2011andBeyond

BanksTargetingtheUnderbanked/Unbanked
ProductsBanksCanMarkettoUnderbankedandUnbankedConsumers
BB&TLinksItsPhysicalFootprintWithPrepaidCard
LargeU.S.RetailBanksOfferMoreLocationsthanRetailers
BanksTackleSmallDollarLoans
EveninProgramsTargetingUnderbankedorUnbanked,BankersDeterminedtoBuildTraditionalBankingRelationshipswithParticipants
ServingUnderbankedConsumerWhileHittingFeeIncomeGenerationTargets
RegulatoryChangesIncreaseBanks’PressureonFeeIncome
HowBanksBecameDependentonFeeIncomeFromRetailCustomers
OverdraftFeeIncome-Yesterday’sCashCow
GrowthofOverdraftFeeIncomeSpurredConsumerDissatisfactionWithBanksandBankingIndustry
BankofAmericaAddsHighCheckingAccountServiceChargesandFeestoUseBankTellers
ChaseBankAddsServiceChargesforLow-IncomeCustomersandThoseWhoAreNotActiveDebitCardUsers
CitibankKeepsFreeCheckingforCustomersWhoPerform5TypesofTransactionsaMonth
ConsumersAreOptingOutofOverdraftProtection
DebitCardRewardsProgramsAreVanishing
SavingsStrategiesofUnderbanked
Prize-LinkedSavings
ConsumerInterestinPLSAccounts
WhyWouldPLSAccountsBeAttractivetoBanks?
BarrierstoWidespreadDeploymentofPLS
WhatIfConsumerSavingsWerePrioritized?
MichiganCreditUnionsPartnertoOfferPLS
HowSuccessfulAretheMichiganProgramsinGrowingSavings?
CanBanksOffertheProductsUnbankedandUnderbankedConsumersWant?
CashingPayrollChecksIsImportanttothe27%ofEmployeesNotUsingDirectDeposit
BillPayment

AlternativeFinancialServices
Introduction
CheckCashing
ChecksStillaPopularChoiceonPayday
AceCashExpress
AceCash’sNewPartnershipsandNewServices
DollarFinancial
Chexar-BringCheckCashingtoSmallRetailers
Wal-Mart-TransformerofCheckCashingFees

PaydayLending
ProfitabilityofPaydayLendingBusiness
PaydayLendingLegislation
FederalPaydayLendingLegislation
PaydayLendingRegulationsattheStateLevel
ImpactofBanningPaydayLoansonConsumers’DebtManagementBehaviors
PaydayLendingRegulationsinHawaii-AContrastingExperience
Fragmented,EmbattledIndustryMayBenefitFromTurmoilinBankingIndustry
AdvanceAmerica
QCHoldings

Payments
PrepaidCards
ChallengesFacingthePrepaidCardIndustry
GreenDot
Netspend

Remittances
RemittersAreSatisfiedWithTheirCurrentMoneyTransferProvider
RemittancesandEmergingTechnologies:CanPriceDriveChannelAdoption?
HowMuchAreIndividualsintheU.S.SendingAbroad?
StructuralandRegulatoryChallengeHindertheUseofNewRemittanceChannels
GlobalWireTransferTrends
GlobalRemittanceVolumes
RemittanceFlowsAreCriticaltotheEconomiesofManyNations

RemittanceOperators
MoneyGram
MoneyGramBillPaymentServices
WesternUnion
WesternUnionTakesonWal-Mart
WesternUnionExperimentswithMobileTechnology
ChallengingtheSpread
RemittanceChannels
HamperingtheUptakeofNewChannelsintheU.S
WesternUnion’sAccount-to-AccountRemittances
WesternHemisphereBanksBypassU.S.MTOstoFacilitateRemittances

MoneyOrders
U.S.PostalServiceIsLargestSellerofU.S.MoneyOrders
WhereAretheBanks?
InternationalLeadersOfferRoadmapsforU.S.ServiceProviders
U.S.BankersFaceStructurallyEndemicChallengesasTheyConsiderFutureCustomers
U.S.BankBranchNetworkBuildforPreviousGenerationofBankingCustomers
MeetingMassMarketFinancialServicesNeedsinAfrica
SmartPhonesandSMSCapabilityFuelGrowthofRetailFinancialTransactioninAfrica
MobilePayments:TheIntersectionofCards,BanksandtheUnbanked
Cash+Mobile=EconomicGrowth
MobileRemittancesThreatenAfricanBanks
Airtel/MasterCardandM-Pesa/Visa:VirtualPaymentCards
CentralBankMobilePaymentsPlatformMayIncreaseMobileCompetitioninKenya
M-Pesa:BiographyofaMarketLeader
MassMarketSavingsStrategies
BritishPremiumBonds-MainstreamPrize-LinkedSavings
SouthAfricanMillion-a-MonthPLS
RethinkingtheBranch:Hub-and-SpokesOrganizationShouldBeConsidered
Capitec-ProfitsFromthePreviouslyUnbanked
TheShotHeardRoundtheCape:CapitecRaisesthePerformanceBarforItsCompetitors
FirstNationalBankUsesProduct-BranchesBranchestoSellSpecificProducts
WIZZITUsesItsIndependentSalesForceandDoor-to-DoorSalestoSignUpNewBankCustomers
SouthAfricanRegulatorsCreateKYCandAMLExemptionstoAllowProviderstoTargetLow-BalanceCustomers

Chapter2:CharacteristicsofUnderbankedandUnbankedConsumers
Table2-1:Banked,UnderbankedandUnbankedStatusofU.S.Households,2009

WhoAretheUnbanked?
Table2-2:PercentagesofMajorRacialandEthnicGroupsThatAreUnbanked,2010
Table2-3:Race,Ethnicity,IncomeandHouseholdTypesofUnbanked,2010

WhichUnbankedHouseholdsCanBecomeBanked?
Table2-4:PreviouslyBankedStatusofUnbankedHouseholds,2009
Figure2-1:NumberofAdultsLivinginUnbankedHouseholdsbyPreviouslyBankedStatus,2009

WhyDon’tUnbankedHaveaBankAccount?
Figure2-2:LeadingReasonsCitedForNotOwningACheckingAccount,1989-2007

TheGrowingRanksoftheUnbanked
WhoAretheUnderbanked?
Table2-5:PercentofHouseholdsUnderbanked,byRace/Ethnicity,2009
SpottingtheUnderbanked
Table2-6:PercentofHouseholdsUnderbankedbyMaritalStatusofHouseholder,2009
BabyBoomersandSeniorsHeavilyRepresentedAmongUnderbanked
Figure2-3:OldestAmericansMostLikelytoBeUnbanked/UnderbankedThanBabyBoomers
BabyBoomersJoiningRanksofUnbankedandUnderbanked
SeniorsAreMoreLikelyToBeUnderbankedandUnbankedThanOtherCohorts
AlternativeFinancialServicesProductsUsedbyUnderbanked
Table2-7:AlternativeFinancialServicesProductsUsedbytheUnderbanked
Figure2-4:AFSProductsUsedbyUnderbankedHouseholds
BankingIndustryTrendsDrovetheGrowthontheNumberofUnderbankedHouseholds?
EconomyIsGrowingtheRanksoftheUnderbanked
Since2007,EconomicPressuresonWorkingAmericansHaveIncreased
Long-TermUnemployment
Figure2-5:SlowGrowthGDPLinkedtoHighRatesofUnemployment,2005-2015
HealthInsuranceCostsAreRising
Figure2-6:RisingCostofEmployeeParticipationinPPOHealthcarePlans,2007-2011
Table2-8:EmployerandEmployeeMedicalCostsAllocation,PPOPlans,2007-2011

Bankruptcy
Figure2-7:PersonalBankruptcyFilingsShowCAGRof25.6%,2007-2010
SoaringNumberofSeniorCitizenBankruptciesFueledbyMedicalExpenses
Foreclosures
Figure2-8:ForeclosureFilings,2005-2010

DecliningRealIncomes
Figure2-9:RealMedianHouseholdIncome,1999-2009
MoreAmericansLivingPaycheck-to-Paycheck
Table2-9:Since2006,theNumberofAmericansLivingPaycheck-to-PaycheckhasIncreased53%
HouseholdStrategiesforDealingWithFinancialInsecurity
Figure2-10:MedianValueofTransactionAccountsforFamilieswithHoldings,1989-2007
TheOverallU.S.Economy-2011andBeyond
Conclusion

Chapter3:BanksTargetingtheUnderbanked/Unbanked
Introduction
Table3-1:TypesofPaymentInstrumentsUsedbyBanked,UnbankedandUnderbankedConsumers
Bankers’MessagesAbouttheImportanceofCreditIncreasinglyFallingonDeafEars
ProductsBanksCanMarkettoUnderbankedandUnbankedConsumers
BB&TLinksItsPhysicalFootprintWithPrepaidCard
LargeU.S.RetailBanksOfferManyMoreLocationsthanEventheLargestRetailers
Table3-2:ComparisonoftheConvenienceofBankBrachesandATMLocationsversustheLocationofMajorU.S.RetailLocations

BanksTackleSmallDollarLoans
EveninProgramsTargetingUnderbankedorUnbanked,BankersDeterminedtoBuildTraditionalBankingRelationshipswithParticipants
ServingUnderbankedConsumersWhileHittingFeeIncomeGenerationTargets
Table3-3:IssuesRetailBankingExecutivesareFocusingonintheNext2Years
RegulatoryChangesIncreaseBanks’PressureonFeeIncome
Table3-4:Bankers’GreatestChallengesinServingorTargetingUnderbankedandUnbankedConsumers
HowBanksBecameDependentonFeeIncomeFromRetailCustomers
OverdraftFeeIncome-Yesterday’sCashCow
GrowthofOverdraftFeeIncomeSpurredConsumerDissatisfactionWithBanksandBankingIndustry
Table3-5:HowCheckClearingOrderAffectstheNumberofOverdraftsForItemsReceivedontheSameDay

BankofAmericaAddsHighCheckingAccountServiceChargesandFeestoUseBankTellers
ChaseBankAddsServiceChargesforLow-IncomeCustomersandThoseWhoareNotActiveDebitCardUsers
CitibankKeepsFreeCheckingforCustomersWhoPerform5TypesofTransactionsaMonth
ConsumersAreOptingOutofOverdraftProtection
Table3-6:NumberofNoncashPayments

DebitCardRewardsProgramsAreVanishing
SavingsStrategiesofUnderbanked
Figure3-1:SnapshotofPiggymojoApp

Prize-LinkedSavings
ConsumerInterestinPLSAccounts
WhyWouldPLSAccountsBeAttractivetoBanks?
BarrierstoWidespreadDeploymentofPLS
WhatIfConsumerSavingsWerePrioritized?
MichiganCreditUnionsPartnertoOfferPLS
HowSuccessfulAretheMichiganProgramsinGrowingSavings?
CanBanksOffertheProductsUnbankedandUnderbankedConsumersWant?CheckCashing
Table3-7:BanksOfferingProducts/ServicestoUnbanked/UnderbankedConsumers

MostBanksWillOnlyCashOn-UsChecksorPayrollChecksforTheirOwnCustomers
CashingPayrollChecksIsImportanttothe27%ofEmployeesNotUsingDirectDeposit
Table3-8:WhyDoYouChooseAgainstDirectDeposit?

BillPayment
Table3-9:HowDoUnbanked/UnderbankedConsumersPayTheirBills?

Chapter4:AlternativeFinancialServices
Introduction
TheMarketforAlternativeFinancialServicesProduct,2007-2015
Table4-1:AFSIndustryRevenuesbyProductLine,2007-2015

CheckCashing
ChecksStillaPopularChoiceonPayday
AceCashExpress
AceCash’sNewPartnershipsandNewServices
Table4-2:AceCashExpressStoreGrowth,2006-2011

DollarFinancial
Table4-3:DollarFinancial’sCheckCashingIncome,2006-2010
CompetitorsintheCheckCashingSector
Chexar-BringCheckCashingtoSmallRetailers
HowChexarWorks
Wal-Mart-TransformerofCheckCashingFees

PaydayLending
Table4-4:UseofPaydayLoansbyBankedStatus,2009
Table4-5:AmongUsersofPaydayLoans,FrequencyofUsebyBankedStatus,2009

ProfitabilityofPaydayLendingBusiness
Table4-6:PDARevenue,CostandProfit(pre-taxbasis),2009

PaydayLendingLegislation
FederalPaydayLendingLegislation
PaydayLendingRegulationsattheStateLevel
PaydayLendingRegulationsinMississippi
PaydayLendingRegulationsinColorado
ImpactofBanningPaydayLoansonConsumers’DebtBehaviors
PaydayLendingRegulationsinWashingtonState
PaydayLendingRegulationsinHawaii-AContrastingExperience
Figure4-1:RevenuesofPublicly-TradedPaydayLenders,2006-2010
Table4-7:RevenuesofPublicly-TradedPaydayLenders,2006-2010($inMillions)
Fragmented,EmbattledIndustryMayBenefitFromTurmoilinBankingIndustry
Table4-8:NumberofRetailLocationsofLargestPaydayLenders,2010

AdvanceAmerica
QCHoldings
Figure4-2:PaydayLoanIndustryRevenues,2006-2015(publiccompanies)

Payments
Table4-9:NumberofNoncashPayments

PrepaidCards
Figure4-3:PrepaidCardLoadVolumes,2008-2012

ChallengesFacingthePrepaidCardIndustry
EntryPointsIntoPrepaidMarket
GreenDot
Figure4-4:GreenDot:KeyBusinessMetrics,Quarterly,and2010
Table4-10:GreenDot:QuarterlyKeyBusinessMetrics,2009and2010(inmillions)

Netspend
Table4-11:Netspend,TotalRevenues,2006-2010($inmillions)

Remittances
InternationalRemittancesOriginatingintheU.S.—WhoIsSendingMoneyandHowOften?
Table4-12:NumberofTimesMoneyTransferredtoRelativesandFriendsOutsidetheU.S.DuringthePrevious12Months,byNativityofHousehold
Table4-13:TotalDollarsRemittedtoRelativesandFriendsDuringPrevious12Months
Table4-14:HowImmigrantsintheU.S.SendMoneyHome

RemittersAreSatisfiedWithTheirCurrentMoneyTransferProvider
Table4-15:SatisfactionLevelsWithRemittanceChannels,2010

RemittancesandEmergingTechnologies:CanPriceDriveChannelAdoption?
HowMuchAreIndividualsintheU.S.SendingAbroad?
Table4-16:RemittanceSizingEstimatesSignificantlyVaryFromOneU.S.GovernmentAgencyandNGOtoAnother
StructuralandRegulatoryChallengeHindertheUseofNewRemittanceChannels
GlobalWireTransferTrends
Table4-17:GlobalRemittanceVolumestoDevelopingCountries,2005-2015($billion)
Figure4-5:RemittanceInflowstoDevelopingCountries,2005-2015

WhereDoestheMoneyFlow?
Table4-18:CountriesReceivingMostRemittances,2010
RemittanceFlowsAreCriticaltotheEconomiesofManyNations
RemittanceOperators

MoneyGram
Table4-19:MoneyGram,TotalRevenueandGrossProfits,2006-2010($inmillions)

Cash-to-Visa
MoneyGramBillPaymentServices
WesternUnion
Table4-20:WesternUnion,TotalRevenueandGrossProfits,2006-2010($inmillions)

WesternUnionTakesonWal-Mart
Table4-21:ComparisonofFeesChargedbyWal-MartMoneyCardandWesternUnionMoneyWiseCard

WesternUnionExperimentswithMobileTechnology
ChallengingtheSpread
RemittanceChannels
HamperingtheUptakeofNewChannelsintheU.S.
WesternUnion’sAccount-to-AccountRemittances
Figure4-6:WesternUnionRemainsPreferredRemitterforU.S.Hispanics
WesternHemisphereBanksBypassU.S.MTOstoFacilitateRemittances

MoneyOrders
U.S.PostalServiceIsLargestSellerofU.S.MoneyOrders
Table4-22:U.S.PostalServiceMoneyOrders,2000-2010(ProcessedbytheFederalReserve)
Table4-23:SizeofNon-BankU.S.MoneyOrderMarket,2007-2015

WesternUnion’sMoneyOrderBusinessAdverselyEffectedbyEndofIPSPartnership
Table4-24:FinancialsofWesternUnion’sMoneyOrderBusinessUnit,2008-2010($Millions)

WhereAretheBanks?
Conclusion

Chapter5:InternationalLeadersOfferRoadmapsforU.S.FinancialServicesProviders
Introduction
Table5-1:IncomeEqualityinSelectedCountries(GiniCoefficient)
U.S.BankersFaceStructurallyEndemicChallengesasTheyConsiderFutureCustomers
U.S.BankBranchNetworkBuildforPreviousGenerationofBankingCustomers
MeetingMassMarketFinancialServicesNeedsinAfrica
Figure5-1:AfricanBankingIndustry,ChangingRevenueStructure,2009-2020
SmartPhonesandSMSCapabilityFuelGrowthofRetailFinancialTransactioninAfrica
MobilePayments:TheIntersectionofCards,BanksandtheUnbanked
Figure5-2:NumberofAfricanCountrieswithMobilePenetrationRatesAbove50%
Table5-2:NumberofAfricanCountrieswithMobilePenetrationRatesAbove50%,2005-2012
Cash+Mobile=EconomicGrowth
Figure5-3:AfricanMoneyVendors’EmploymentAdvertising

MobileRemittancesThreatenAfricanBanks
Airtel/MasterCardandM-Pesa/Visa:VirtualPaymentCards
CentralBankMobilePaymentsPlatformMayIncreaseMobileCompetitioninKenya
Table5-3:MarketShareofMobileOperatorsinKenya,2011
Figure5-4:NumberofAfricanCountrieswithMobilePenetrationRatesAbove50%,2005-2012
Table5-4:NumberofAfricanCountrieswithMobilePenetrationRatesAbove50%,2005-2012

M-Pesa:BiographyofaMarketLeader
MassMarketSavingsStrategies
BritishPremiumBonds-MainstreamPrize-LinkedSavings
SouthAfricanMillion-a-MonthPLS
RethinkingtheBranch:Hub-and-SpokesOrganizationShouldBeConsidered

Capitec-ProfitsFromthePreviouslyUnbanked
Table5-5:TotalConsumerUnsecuredLending,CapitecandSouthAfricanBankingIndustry,2007and2011
Figure5-5:Capitec’sUnsecuredLoadPortfolioHasGrownAlmostFourTimesFasterThanThatofItsPeers
TheShotHeardRoundtheCape:CapitecRaisesthePerformanceBarforItsCompetitors
FirstNationalBankUsesProduct-BranchesBranchestoSellSpecificProducts
Table5-6:FinancialInclusionRatesAreSlowlyIncreasinginSouthAfrica,2008-2010
Figure5-6:FinancialInclusioninAfrica
WIZZITUsesItsIndependentSalesForceandDoor-to-DoorSalestoSignUpNewBankCustomers
Figure5-7:WIZZkids’MethodforMarketingtheBank’sServicesintheCommunityandWorkplace

Conclusion
Figure5-8:SouthAfricanRegulatorsCreateKYCandAMLExemptionstoAllowProviderstoTargetLow-BalanceCustomers

 

Published By: Packaged Facts
Product Code: Packaged Facts119


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