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Matters concerning evaluation of the creditworthiness of consumers have returned to the focus during the last year. Discussions revolve around consumers’ increased loan burden and share of loans in default; there is lobbying for additional support from the establishment of a positive credit registry, and the Financial Inspectorate has started getting tougher with fines on market participants who don’t abide by the rules.

“Our partnership with Grant Thornton Baltic’s internal auditors started in 2016 and it’s clear we hit the nail on the head with our selection,” says CEO of Primero Finance OÜ, Marti Küttis.

On 12 May 2022, the Government of the Republic approved a draft amendment to the Local Government Act that makes internal audit a requirement in local governments. At least once every four years, an internal audit must be conducted to verify that the internal control system meets certain requirements.

Experience has shown that not all creditors analyze the creditworthiness of consumers as they should, control activities sometimes remain superficial and therefore do not serve the purpose – ensuring that the borrower is able to repay the loan under the terms agreed. Merili Kiipus, Grant Thornton Baltic's Business Risk Analyst investigates further.