Hanoi: A day in the life of a credit officer

Photo: (left to right) Credit Officer, Credit Officer, Ms. Tuyet and Kat

Photo: Group leader paying weekly repayments and credit officer recording transaction

Like most service related companies, microfinance organisations depend heavily on their staff. Credit officers are responsible for conducting the loan transactions with the clients and for ensuring reliable book-keeping. A Branch office (or field staff office) often consists of one branch manager and two to four credit officers. An average day for a credit officer may consist of preparing the ledger books and cash disbursements in the morning, conducting several group collection meetings at the clients home, disbursing loans to new clients in the afternoon, and recording the transactions in the ledger in the evening. The credit officers may have as many as 400 clients. The credit officers are often from the same neighborhoods as the clients.