Journal of Consumer Policy: The poor in the financial market: Changes in the use of financial products, institutions, and services from 1995 to 1998 - Author Abstract

Family Economics and Nutrition Review, Spring, 2002 by J. Lee

Lee, J. (2002). The poor in the financial market: Changes in the use of financial products, institutions, and services from 1995 to 1998. Journal of Consumer Policy, 25(2), 203-231.

The poor are in a disadvantaged position in the financial market. In this article, a review is given of public policy initiatives that are implemented to help the poor as well as an examination of how the poor are served in the financial market, using data from the 1995 and 1998 Survey of Consumer Finances provided by the Federal Reserve Board. Specifically, poor households' use of depository and credit products, the financial institutions that provide these products to the poor, and the way in which the poor conduct their financial business (e.g., visit to branch offices, ATMs, etc.) are compared to that of non-poor households. Marketing and public policy implications are drawn from the findings.