New Milepoint Lending Team [general info]

I am confused by this post. Is Kiva listing loans as 'young arab loans' and 'close to finish'? where do you see this?

It's the heading under "Featured Loans" at http://www.kiva.org/lend.

Thanks, really wish the Finish lines loans were the ones expiring soon and not those nearly funded!

Yes and no from my point of view.

I like the idea of closing out more loans. Even when looking at the expiring soon, i am always going to pick the one or one of the ones that is nearly funded.

Just my point of view, of course.

with the new open market, I think I like the idea of closing out loans and not just about to expire. I also now have to police my loaning a lot better, some now are multiple years till first repayment, and I can't drop more than $25 to that to be most effective.

I'm in the same boat re: the policing. It may just be my awareness growing, but I'm also seeing longer loans with more deferred repayment dates. My "increase" in lending depends on adding small amounts to round up to $25. If the loans aren't repaying for longer periods, my participation decreases.

275th loan...

Congratulations milchap.

Enough repayments to date for 5 loans (1 earlier, and 4 today). Still expecting more repayments in the next few days.

Go team!

GenevaFlyer

BTW, I just reached the exact same milestone!

GenevaFlyer

Congrats GF.

Our team is in the monthly lead again.

All I will say is I do not like what is going on at Kiva at the moment. Too many loans expiring, it seems we have seen the onslaught of the mega loan. Once they get to the top of popularity no-one else is getting much of a look in. Can't believe peeps will go nutso over a loan that won't repay for 10 years, but will let a $500 loan from the same country go unfunded.

Oh well, I will carry on with my loaning for now. I have decided I try not to loan to countries that have flooded Kiva with extraordinary amounts of loans and Kiva will not receive any donations from me. I was going to do a 4 figure one off donation which my DH's employer would match, but in my mind it is screw Kiva, I will save the money for loans.

There is no doubt about the peeps at Kiva being smart. However, I would love to see the proof of the new money coming in to fill the gap. If that was so surely we would not be seeing so many expiring loans. I feel the new money is probably coming from those of us who are always trying to save the expiring loans.

if Kiva want to bleat on about open market, blah blah blah, let's have a sort of loans with a nice shiny button up the top for Top MFI's. Make it quite obvious which ones have the 0% default rate. Where is the chart indicating which MFI's pay back on time, have low delinquency and low default rate. I know you can use advanced settings to filter, but if they are so open and honest put it out there so no-one has to go searching.

Congratulations !

Just made what is, I think, my 13th. This whole thing is still somewhat of a dartboard for me, and I look for loans that speak to me. One actually funded before I could get to it.

The loan was a group loan, and the profiled member was going to use funds to buy and sell firewood. It broke my heart to read "her dream is to someday sell charcoal." While we dream of leisure and travel, there is someone out there actually dreaming of "moving up" to sell charcoal. Quite an attitude adjustment for me.

Well when you think you have seen it all something new comes along to shock. There is a new loan listed for Tanzania in the amount of $49k. Of course because it's got a video clip which Kiva deems to be a cool feature it hits page 1 of Popularity easily.

I would like to know at what point does something cross over from being a micro loan to macro loan?

Just a one word response on that one (http://www.kiva.org/lend/426323)...

Damn!

This is the strangest loan I have seen on Kiva in my 4 months of membership. This is a first time field partner.

Field Partner

Barefoot Power administers this loan. Learn more
This field partner possesses these important
Social Performance Strengths:
Innovation
Field Partner:
Barefoot Power
Field Partner Due Diligence Type:
Full Due Diligence
Field Partner Risk Rating:
Non-Rated
Time on Kiva:
0 months
Kiva Entrepreneurs:
0
Total Loans:
$0
Interest & Fees are Charged
Yes
Interest Rate:
N/A
Profitability
(Return on Assets):
0%
Average Loan Size
(% of Per Capita Income):
N/A
Delinquency Rate:
0.00%
Loans at Risk Rate:
0.00%
Default Rate:
N/A - Insufficient Loans Completed
Currency Exchange Loss Rate:
0.00%

Even more interesting if you look at the first peeps who made a loan to bump it to the top they are all Kiva employees. Yeah an even playing field isn't it.

Amazing though... $22K of traction already. Are there people that just lend because of the popularity? Doesn't seem to be much of a team focus on it by any team though.

Average Annual Income: $723



This is 67-years of average annual income

The whole thing is bizarre, to me it reeks of conflict of interest. It is the biggest loan ever, Kiva staff are all over it to give it traction, has a video clip which Kiva loves so lifts it up in popularity and it knows to list on the 15th when repayments are at the greatest.

If this is the direction Kiva is going I think it just may be time for me to walk away from it all.

One last rant and I am done. And he is an expat I take it? Not even a local Tanzanian getting a loan from a Tanzanian MFI.

I am a micro loan fan....I just ignore that type of loan.....