Inovation is out: A thought on modern banking

[Jon P.]

I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing blogging right now, as there is something on HBO right now called "Cannibal Cop," but something has been bothering me today as I begin my search for a small portfolio lender in my area.

The innovators in finance, some of the great minds of our time have lost the trust of the public for so many different reasons, not the least of which is that, on the whole, they gave up on common sense.

Bill Gates wrote an article discussing the globalization of the economy where he pointed out that  (you'll excuse me if I butcher his words through paraphrasing) the third world countries on this planet are often mistakenly thought of as essentially being void of financial activity. In reality, he argues, the bottom X amount of third world countries combine for an economy of almost 1 trillion dollars (again, paraphrasing).

Compared with the economies of the US, China or Europe, it seems trivial, but his point is that there's a TRILLION dollars lying on the table that everyone is either too stupid or too scared to go after.  The first companies to branch into these markets are going to find themselves with a brand loyalty on their hands that is second to none.

How is this relevant to Bigger Pockets?  There are qualified and competent investors who are turning to private lenders and crowd funding sites and walking directly past the banks front door to do so. The banks inability to use their own common humanity in the face of regulation and bureaucracy is resulting in their leaving trillions on the table by not dealing with us "little guys."  Perhaps "not dealing with" is a bit of a stretch. Banks do help small investors but I think we can all agree that they make it harder than it has to be.

I'm not advocating we revert back to the mindset of 2004, but we should take pride in our brains as assets.  A banker should be able to looks at a small investors portfolio history, look them in the eye and make a decision.  Josh, you want to know "what distinguishes successful real estate investors from those who give up or don't start?"  The answer is: most people are discouraged from even walking into the bank if their fate is, all too often, a slave to redtape.

Maybe I'm just whining. But I know this:  I have perfect credit, a fantastically performing, cash flowing, equity filled portfolio filled with dream tenants and instead of walking into the banks ready to make a mutually beneficial deal, I instead walk in prepared to leave frustrated.

Alright, I'm outa here..."Cannibal Cop" isn't gonna watch itself.

Talk to you soon.