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Unbanked status and use of alternative financial services among minority populations

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  • Barcellos, Silvia Helena
  • Zamarro, Gema

Abstract

A large number of Americans do not have bank accounts (the ‘unbanked’) or rely on costly alternative financial services (AFS) such as payday loans (the ‘underbanked’), with implications for wealth accumulation and retirement preparedness. Using primary data, we document large racial/ethnic differences in unbanked and in frequent AFS usage rates. We study the role of socio-economic status (SES), financial literacy, trust in financial institutions, networks, and time preferences in explaining these gaps. While these variables explain a large fraction of the white-minority gaps in unbanked status the same is not true for gaps in AFS use. A Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition confirms these patterns: gaps in unbanked status are mostly explained by differences in endowments across groups, for AFS gaps differences in returns to endowments have the largest explanatory power. Our findings suggest that, while related, unbanked and underbanked are distinct concepts with different underlying causes that may require different policy responses.

Suggested Citation

  • Barcellos, Silvia Helena & Zamarro, Gema, 2021. "Unbanked status and use of alternative financial services among minority populations," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(4), pages 468-481, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jpenef:v:20:y:2021:i:4:p:468-481_3
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    Cited by:

    1. Blanco, Luisa R. & Hernandez, Isaias & Thames, April D. & Chen, Lucia & Serido, Joyce, 2023. "Mind your money: A community-based digital intervention for improving financial capability among Hispanics," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 629-643.
    2. Amar Johri & Mohammad Asif & Preeti Tarkar & Waseem Khan & Rahisha & Mohammad Wasiq, 2024. "Digital financial inclusion in micro enterprises: understanding the determinants and impact on ease of doing business from World Bank survey," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. P. M. Vik & D. Kamerāde & K. T. Dayson, 2024. "The Link Between Digital Skills and Financial Inclusion—Evidence from Consumers Survey Data from Low-Income Areas," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 373-393, September.
    4. Esther Yin-Nei Cho, 2024. "A qualitative investigation of financial decision-making and enabling factors among ethnic minority young adults in Hong Kong," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.

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