Information asymmetry in the anonymous informal finance market drives the lenders to screen the borrowers by disclosed information. Using data from a powerful online peer-to-peer lending platform, we study the effects of formal financing records on successful funding and default outcomes in the...

The constraint on informal finance is commonly taken to be high costs and limited supply. But the majority of informal investors - family and friends - is often willing to supply funds at negative returns, and yet many borrowers tap family and friends only as a last resort. We explain this...