Loan officers and clients' over-indebtedness prevention. The case of Banco Adopem

Loan officers act as the interface between microfinance institutions and clients, and as previous research has shown, they are particularly relevant in the screening and recovery phases. Given that these two stages of the credit process are considered critical in over-indebtedness prevention strategies, it is expected that credit officers have a key role at this level. However, the case study developed at Banco ADOPEM based on field observations and statistical analysis of data collected from the institution’s management information system showed that for ADOPEM there were institutional factors outweighing the individual influence of loan officers. Among them, the human resources’ policies and the standardization of procedures were vital and helped build a strong corporate culture.