이 연구는 저신용의 서민들에게도 금융서비스를 제공하기 위한 방안으로서 서민금융의 위축원인과 발전방향에 대하여 살펴보았다. 먼저 서민금융이 위축되는 원인으로서는 첫째, 건전성의 부족으로 부실이 증가하면서 서민금융기관의 수가 감소하였다는 것이다. 둘째, 서민금융기관들의 영업기반이 취약하여 신용위험이 높은 서민금융을 회피하면서 서민금융기관이 스스로 위축되어지고 있다는 것이다. 셋째, 은행과 달리 업무영역이 제한되어 있어 수익구조가 단순예대업무를 중심으로 이루어지고 있는데다 운용자산의 주요 고객도 신용등급이 상대적으로 낮은 층이기 때문에 위축되고 있다고 한다. 그리고 마지막으로 서민금융기관들의 높은 금리로 인해 서민들이 서민금융기관을 기피하고 있다는 주장이었는데, 이 주장은 이 연구에서 시중은행과 상호저축은행과 신협의 여신금리차이가 시장점유율에 미치는 영향을 가지고 분석한 결과 전혀 유의미한 결과를 보이지 못하였다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 이 연구에서 서민금융시장의 활성화를 위해서 제시된 방안은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 서민금융기관 스스로 건전성을 높여야 하는데, 이를 위해서는 가장 먼저 서민금융기관들 스스로 자체적인 예금보호기구를 마련해야 한다. 둘째, 위험금융이라 할 수 있는 서민금융을 기피하지 않기 위해서는 서민을 위한 신용평가 시스템의 구축이 필요하다. 셋째, 서민금융기관들의 업무영역을 건전성의 개선 정도에 따라 점차 확대시켜 경쟁력을 강화시킴과 동시에 서민들의 금융이용 편의성을 개선시켜야 한다. 넷째, 신용등급이 낮아 자금의 회수가능성이 낮은 서민금융시장의 확대를 위해서는 위험금융 상품의 개발능력을 배양해야 한다. 그리고 무엇보다 중요한 것은 서민들이 스스로의 신용도를 파악하고 그에 적합한 비용을 지불할 의사가 있어야 제도권 위험서민금융시장의 형성이 가능하다.

In this study, the causes of contraction of people's financial institutions and the strategy for those development were investigated, for which even common people can be bothered with legitimate financial service. According to this study, the causes of the contraction of the people's financial institutions are as follows. First, the bankruptcy of people’s financial institution has been increased because of the shortcomings of financial soundness. Second, people’s financial institutions themselves are shrinking because they have refused to give credit to common people with high credit risks. Nevertheless, their main customers are common people with low credit ratings. Third, people's financial institutions lie in business district restrictions other than commercial banks. Therefore they can only do simple business 'deposit and lending'. Recently, the common people even refuse people's financial institutions for loans because of high interest rates. But this last statement is rejected in the empirical test of this study, whether the differences in interest rates between commercial banks and people's financial institutions take on influence their market share. On the basis of the outcome of this study, some alternatives are proposed for revitalization of people's financial institutions. First, the people's financial institutions themselves must improve financial soundness. To do so, they need to develop deposit protection mechanism for their customers. Second, credit rating system for common people must be strengthened, so that the people's financial institutions don't refuse financial service to small citizens. Third, the people's financial institutions would be expanded, if their financial soundness will be improved, so that the financial convenience of the small citizens would be improved. Fourth, the risky financing must be increased to extend financial market for the common people. But what is important above all, is the willingness of the common people, that they should pay costs according to their credit ratings.

In this study, the causes of contraction of people's financial institutions and the strategy for those development were investigated, for which even common people can be bothered with legitimate financial service. According to this study, the causes of the contraction of the people's financial institutions are as follows. First, the bankruptcy of people’s financial institution has been increased because of the shortcomings of financial soundness. Second, people’s financial institutions themselves are shrinking because they have refused to give credit to common people with high credit risks. Nevertheless, their main customers are common people with low credit ratings. Third, people's financial institutions lie in business district restrictions other than commercial banks. Therefore they can only do simple business 'deposit and lending'. Recently, the common people even refuse people's financial institutions for loans because of high interest rates. But this last statement is rejected in the empirical test of this study, whether the differences in interest rates between commercial banks and people's financial institutions take on influence their market share. On the basis of the outcome of this study, some alternatives are proposed for revitalization of people's financial institutions. First, the people's financial institutions themselves must improve financial soundness. To do so, they need to develop deposit protection mechanism for their customers. Second, credit rating system for common people must be strengthened, so that the people's financial institutions don't refuse financial service to small citizens. Third, the people's financial institutions would be expanded, if their financial soundness will be improved, so that the financial convenience of the small citizens would be improved. Fourth, the risky financing must be increased to extend financial market for the common people. But what is important above all, is the willingness of the common people, that they should pay costs according to their credit ratings.

People’s Financial Institution, Savings Bank, National Credit Union, Community Credit Cooperatives