Mamba Lava Web Emilie Liu

Interview 1 of 10 Assistant Branch Manager

Saturday, August 26, 2017 Sterling Bank & Trust
Ben Elkin This branch of the bank is in the heart of
Oaklands Chinatown, serving a primarily
immigrant population
Why we interviewed this This was completely spontaneous. I was walking around Oakland Chinatown last weekend during its annual street fair and noticed
person: that a number of local banks had booths to appeal to local clientele. This got me thinking that the bank staff would make for a
great primary source related to the services available to the Chinese immigrant communities who are their customers.
We really wanted to We wanted to understand: (1) how financially literate are the clientele? (2) where do immigrant / non-english speaking
understand this: communities get their information about financial issues and credit? (3) what knowledge to they already have when arriving? (4)
what types of questions does the bank staff get asked about issues such as credit and financial literacy?
We learned this about the Many immigrants in and round Oakland Chinatown have some sense of financial literacy to the extent that they at least know
problem space: about credit as a means for accessing loans and financial products, even if they have none to start. The most common reason
Sterlings customers try to get loans is for cars (makes sense need to get to jobs!). Most information is passed through word of
mouth within the Chinese immigrant community in this area.
We were surprised by: The bank doesnt offer/facilitate credit cards, rather personal and commercial loans. However, when people come into the bank to
ask questions about credit cards, or accessing credit, they frequently explain the process by which people can put money forward
up front to get a small line of credit, and expand from there. I suppose its in the banks best interest for people to have credit, so
that they can then take advantage of the banks loan products.
Other interesting Id like to dive deeper into the social networking (not fb and twitter!) aspects of information flows among immigrant communities.
outcomes or learning This is a powerful paradigm and guiding factor for how information is spread. If theres a way to conduct broad community
(how this interview might outreach about issues such as credit and financial literacy, then individuals will be better off and more informed. Ill be asking more
change your next questions of information sources going forward.
interview)
 Mamba Lava Web Dr Michael Lewis
Interview 2 of 10 Pulmonologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Monday, August 28th, 2017 South African immigrant (1982)
Ben Elkin

Why we interviewed this We were interested in broadening the scope of our interviews to immigrants that would be considered educated or well off, as
person: compared to many immigrant communities from Mexico/Central America/MENA/Asia.

We really wanted to We wanted to understand (1) how the immigrant financial experience of educated individuals differed and/or were similar from
understand this: those that are less well off (2) how did credit transfer from South Africa, or generally established financial countries, to the US? (3)
what information sources were relevant and available to Dr Lewis? (4) any other relevant info or experiences with respect to
understanding the US finances system?
We learned this about the Dr Lewis had established two American Express credit cards in South Africa prior to even knowing he would be moving to the US;
problem space: moving these accounts was as simple as changing his address from SA to California, making it relatively easy for him to continue
accessing credit. This is a central difference from an immigrant who would be traveling from a developing country. One similarity
between Dr Lewis and the Chinatown bank experience, though, was that Dr Lewis relied upon his personal contacts, community,
and resources in close proximity for learning financial information and making decision. For example, he did no research about
which bank to choose, simply going off of a colleagues recommendation and proximity to the hospital where he got his first job.
We were surprised by: I was surprised by how little research into financial decisions was done, even by those who are highly educated. There were also
some interesting takeaways as it relates to taxes in the US (see next section).
Other interesting As in my first interview (Chinatown bank branch manager), community was the single most important (1) source of information (2)
outcomes or learning reasoning behind financial decisions. Im still very interested in exploring/addressing communities and social networks.
(how this interview might
change your next Additionally, Dr Lewis received some bad tax advice from his community/colleagues/employer in his first year(s) in the US. This
interview) would represent a pivot in our HMW, but this problem statement could be reframed around providing tax services to immigrant
communities / deciphering a very complex and daunting process for immigrants.