Non-bank lenders have plenty of other motivations besides usury. - Many immigrant populations thrive because more established members of the community invest i

Non-bank lenders have plenty of other motivations besides usury. - Many immigrant populations thrive because more established members of the community invest in and loan to their peers (especially family members). They may not have twenty years of credit history and market research, but they have close-knit ties that go back generations and a person's reputation as leverage. - A Planet Money episode after Hurricane Sandy mentioned studies that proved a small business was more likely to survive a natural disaster if it worked closely with other businesses. The conclusion was that businesses would provide informal loans to one another to keep everyone afloat until the insurance claims could be processed (which could take months)