SEC plans unified lending ID

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is looking to introduce a unified lending identification (ULI) system to make it easier for borrowers to access credit and to prevent predatory lending and abusive debt collection practices.

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“Since our national ID system is still not reliable, we intend to introduce the ULI to provide easy access to credit facilities through authenticated data,” SEC Commissioner Rogelio V. Quevedo said during a Senate committee hearing on Monday.

From January to Sept. 15, the SEC handled 5,415 public complaints involving financing and lending companies and their online platforms, he noted.

“Of this total, 3,570 complaints, or 66%, involve unfair debt collection practices or collection harassment. Among these, 3,315 complaints were filed against unregistered financing companies, lending companies, and online lending platforms (OLPs), while 435 complaints targeted unregistered entities and/or unrecorded OLPs,” he added.