IN the process of rebranding itself, the Self Start Fund (SSF) recently joined Creditinfo Jamaica (CIJ) in an effort to improve its collection drive and find delinquent clients.

Credit analyst and marketing officer at the microfinance company, Ammesha Samuels, told the Jamaica Observer Tuesday that the primary reason for joining the CIJ is to reduce the high level of delinquency that has bogged down the agency. She said the partnership will help the SSF track down delinquents by gaining access to public records such as their last address.

Samuels also said the partnership will help the agency screen prospective clients prior to authorising their loans.

“It will allow us to do the necessary credit checks on clients coming in to get loans,” she told the Observer.

The SSF was established in 1983 through a partnership between the Jamaican Government and the United States Agency for International Aid to encourage entrepreneurial development in the country. However, the agency has been bothered by high delinquency rates over the years.

In 2010, the Government passed the Credit Reporting Act which allows the “sharing of credit information between specified bodies” and “ensures that credit reporting is done through reasonable procedures that meet the needs of commerce for credit information in a manner that is fair and equitable to the consumer.”

— Jediael Carter