Repeat borrowers building credit
Every business owner we lend to is on a journey—to turn their dream of a sustainable business into a reality. Many of our borrowers face obstacles on their journey toward success—such as a cash flow shortage or other financial setback—that may prevent them from seizing an opportunity to grow or maintain their business.
Opportunity Fund, the lending arm of Accion Opportunity Fund, is working to build a more inclusive financial system, helping traditionally underserved entrepreneurs access capital, build (or repair) their credit, and grow their businesses.
How do we know if our loans are helping to drive economic mobility? By analyzing comprehensive financial and credit data for thousands of borrowers, we embarked on an evaluation to measure changes in the financial and credit profiles of nearly 2,000 entrepreneurs—in some cases with data to track their businesses over the course of nearly a decade. A team of student researchers at UC Berkeley’s Net Impact conducted a detailed analysis of clients that have received more than one loan from Opportunity Fund. We have made more than 13,800 loans to small and micro businesses that can’t get a loan from a bank. More than a third of our borrowers have received two or more loans from us as their businesses continue to grow. These ‘repeat borrowers’ form the sample for this study. The analysis focused on business revenues, credit scores, and job creation over time.