From Being Unbanked to Becoming Unbanked or Unbankable: Community Experts Describe Financial Practices of Latinos in East Los Angeles

ABSTACT

Appropriate use of formal financial institutions facilitates saving and asset building. Yet 20% of the US Latino population is unbanked. In this cross-sectional qualitative study, 34 community experts were interviewed regarding financial practices in the predominantly low-income Latino and immigrant community of East Los Angeles. Thematic analysis of these in-depth, semistructured interviews suggests that immigration status fuels fears regarding banking and ultimately the persistence of unbanked status; limited financial education prompts community members to move from being unbanked to being unbankable. Techniques employed to reverse this cycle appear helpful, but ultimately overwhelmed by the magnitude of community mistrust and misinformation.