Access to credit is a key constraint for entrepreneurs. And limited credit is in part caused by the difficulty of predicting which small businesses will and won’t succeed. In the past, a community bank would have a relationship with the businesses on Main Street, and when it came time for a loan, there would be a wealth of informal information to augment the loan application. Today, community banks are being consolidated and larger banks are relying more and more on data-driven credit scoring to make small business loans—if they are making them at all.
Use Data to Fix the Small Business Lending Gap
In search of a more sophisticated measure of risk.
September 16, 2014
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Finance Essentials. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Strengthen your fluency in financial statements.