Rationalising the Stigma of Bankruptcy Pt1

Rationalising the Stigma of Bankruptcy Pt1

In the first of a series of articles, Stephen Morgan tries to wrestle with the oft misunderstood lending criteria that Modern Day Financial Institutions use to help fuel their financial expansion and growth but at what expense?

Hardly a month seems to go by when the Media isn’t reporting some incidence of the suicide or attempted suicide of some individual who has taken the unfortunate decision that death seems preferable to having to come to terms with dealing with steadily amassing debts.

Now perhaps I am alone in this (I hope I am not) but there is something rather repugnant about a Society that tolerates the instance of someone choosing death rather than come to terms with the unfortunate situation they find themselves in.

In the latest story, the case involved a young man who found himself the recipient of threats of debt collection agencies calling on behalf of a high street Bank in the United Kingdom who quite frankly should have known better.

The amount involved was roughly the equivalent of £1500 ($2200) and the lender had apparently reviewed his case and decided that enough was enough and would be calling in the amount and the account had to be settled.

ENOUGH was ENOUGH!

The world has gone crazy! Now I l know that all debts have to be paid and I quite accept that fact otherwise we risk the entire Western Economy and the whole principle of the free market economy and Capitalism going “down the spout” if these are not met but sometimes a little dose of reality has to enter into the equation.

Let me expand upon this concept. I love my nephew, I think he is great and would take up arms against anyone who thought otherwise. However I would not entertain the idea of him being financially responsible to take up a leading role with one of the Western Economy’s Central Banks.

I’ll give him £20 ‘cos he’s my nephew but lend him £3,500 plus an unsecured credit card no way!

That however is not the considered opinion of one of the United Kingdoms leading High Street Banks who gaily have handed over banking facilities plus Credit Card to a Student who has all the track record of an alcoholic who’s just been handed the key to a brewery!

God knows how they managed to credit score this one. I know the facts and I am sure that I am in position of facts that the bank aren’t but it does beg the question with some of today’s banking officials?

Should their mothers let them out in the morning without supervision?

The sad result is that they are obviously buying market share. The stock answer is that a certain percentage of students are going on to become “Captains of Industry” and will earn the opportunistic banks on the way a fortune – those who bankrolled them “in the early days will always be rewarded” etc but what about those who don’t become the “Captains of Tomorrow’s Industry”? do they become the collateral damage of today’s “Financial War of Attrition”?

Does the rising trend of bankruptcies amongst the “twenty-something’s”, the post student generation not tell them something?

Isn’t it about time that that someone tries to tell them that a little fiscal prudence early on might actually help them make more substantial and moral profits later on?

“Hello……is there anyone out there?”

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