Truth in Lending Tables (TILT)
MFTransparency’s transparent pricing data is now available for public use via our new downloadable database – the Truth in Lending Tables, also known as the TILT.
The TILT presents a rich range of pricing attributes, containing detailed data about microloan products that has been voluntarily disclosed by microfinance institutions around the world, and comparable pricing data that has been calculated and verified by MFTransparency analysts using loan client documentation as evidence of pricing.
Truth in Lending Data:
This data has been made publicly available by MFTransparency to further the impact of pricing transparency in microfinance. Transparent pricing is essential to well-functioning markets, and to healthy consumer choice, and wider use of the MFTransparency data will help address the industry-wide concern whereby market prices remain generally unknown. We invite you to use this data, share it and review it. Please let us know if you have any questions, updates or suggestions on the data.
We are adding more countries to the TILT with time, so if the country you are seeking data for is not yet available please check back soon.
Truth in Lending Tables:
The TILT are presented in comma separated value (CSV) format as five separate files contained in a zipped folder. The most useful tables for initial general viewing are the Product Table and the Institution Table, with the Price Data Table being more useful for more detailed analysis.
- Institution Data – Containing key details about the microfinance institution, this table includes address details, geographic coverage, funder and network membership information, and scale and target group.
- Product Data – Containing information about each microloan product (one record for each product of each institution), this is the largest and most useful table for analysis. Sections of this table cover key product size statistics, product purpose, eligibility criteria, included services, lending methodology, loan size and term, statistical information on the prices of the loan samples for this product extracted from the Sample Data table; and details on all pricing components such as interest, fees, insurance, taxes, and compulsory deposits.
- Price Data – This table contains details about all the loan samples used for the pricing calculations, including a range of pricing calculations that incorporate various pricing components. This information is summarized in the Product Data table, but this table can be used for more detailed analysis or to generate graphs. This is the table used for the graphs displayed on the MFTransparency website.
- Fee Data – This is a support table, containing details about any fees and insurance requirements of each loan product. The Product Data table contains this information in summary form.
- Sample Data – This is a support table that presents the same information as the Price Data table, displayed in a different way whereby all the samples of a loan product can be viewed within a single row, rather than in separate rows.
Where to download:
The TILT are available for download directly from the country, institution, and product profile pages on the MFTransparency Pricing Data Platform. The country data can be accessed by clicking on the green “Download Data” button in the blue Transparency Statistics side bar. The Transparency Statistics side bar is on the right hand side of the Country profile page.
For data on a single institution or product please find the “Download Data” button on the top right of the profile pages. The CSVs downloaded from here will be specific to the institution or product that the link was clicked on.
TILT Dictionary:
A comprehensive dictionary of terms used in the TILT can be found here. Use this to guide you through the detailed range of metrics available about each product and institution. The guide can be accessed by clicking on the google-doc link here:
TILT Analysis Tool:
A sophisticated analysis tool will be published soon, that will be available for free use. This interactive tool will enable you to interpret the vast range of data using in-built tables and filterable graphs. This exciting new tool is currently in development.
Watch this space for more information!
