- Lender of last resort
A lender of last resort (LOLR) is an institution willing to extend credit when no one else will.
Origin
Originally the term referred to a reserve
financial institution that secured other banks or eligible institutions, as a last resort; most often thecentral bank of a country. The purpose of thisloan and lender is to prevent the collapse of institutions that are experiencing financial difficulty, most often near collapse.Purpose
The lender of last resort serves to protect
depositor s, prevent widespread panic withdrawal, and otherwise avoid damage to the economy caused by the collapse of an institution. Borrowing from the lender of last resort bycommercial bank s is usually not done except in times of crisis. This is because borrowing from the lender of last resort indicates that the institution in question has taken on too muchrisk , or that the institution is experiencing financial difficulties (since it is often only possible when the borrower is near collapse).In the
United States theFederal Reserve serves as the lender of last resort to those institutions that cannot obtain credit elsewhere and the collapse of which would have serious implications for the economy. It took over this role from the private sector "clearing houses" which operated during the ; whether public or private, the availability of liquidity was intended to prevent ’runs’ on the banking system. In theUnited Kingdom this role is undertaken by theBank of England , the central bank of the United Kingdom.HSBC is an example of a non-central bank that has acted as a lender of last resort on several occasions.Fact|date=September 2008Retail lending
Alternatively, a "lender of last resort" is a
bank ,cheque cashing store orcredit card operation which deals only with the highest-risk categories of private client. These retail banks charge very high rates of interest to cover the highcredit risk they face since many of the loans are not repaid. They therefore only attract customers unable to secure credit at lower interest rates elsewhere.This term can be applied to criminal
loan shark s who act as lenders of last resort, offering loans at very high rates of interest (considered by many asusury ). This may be illegal in itself, or involve intimidation to ensure repayment.These
moneylender s are not the only lenders of last resort dealing with the public. In some cases, credit is available for the purchase of specific goods which could not be sold forcash . Particularly incar financing , there are large companies specializing in the arrangement of credit for high risk individuals.Criticisms
Critics of the backing of institutions point to the ability of having a lender of last resort as a temptation for an institution to take on more risk. A lender of last resort provides a safety net to insulate the institution from the full consequences of their risk. The lender does not
underwrite the consequences but it could be that business failure can be hidden for longer by the extension of credit.A more theoretical critique of the institution of a lender of last resort is that its existence is predicated on the possibility of a "
market failure ": if thecredit market accurately assesses risks then institutions not able to receive loans would not be able to misuse the capital and the idea of a panic or ‘contagious’credit crunch spreading through the banking system would be impossible.A modern critique of the
International Monetary Fund as the international lender of last resort is that it is effectively an inefficient subsidy system, since it is mandated to provide loans to countries unable to raise funds through the bond market, with loans paying below market interest rates. Critics say that this has two deficiencies as a means of charity: one, it confuses the ability to repay with the economic reorganization demanded by the bank and other ethical considerations; and two, the fact that some countries actually do repay their loans, despite the hardship of paying and the reality that mostdeveloping nation s are not expected to do so.See also
*
Refund Anticipation Loan
*Payday loan
*Title loan
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