Economist Adrian Augier warned members at a recent Elks Membership meeting to brace for the worst. He told members – “We are in trouble. Your job, your family your savings your home and your sanity, are all in trouble”. He informed that many banks in the region have lent out money that was not theirs to people who cannot now pay because jobs have disappeared and real property values have fallen. That economic situation, he states, is not only true of Saint Lucia, but across the Caribbean as well. Augier advocates for legislation so banks and credit unions can dispose of assets. He used the example of a house with a mortgage that is not being serviced. He says credit unions need to put it on the market and get it sold quickly. He admits that it is not nice when you have to put families out of their homes, but told members that it’s their savings in the credit union underwriting the mortgage and therefore deteriorating.
