The financial system causes morbidity and mortality

I worked in the credit industry very briefly before I had a breakdown. I
was a credit strategy analyst.

The credit industry doesn't make it's money from people who are good
with their money (the investment people make money off them). The sort
of people who pay off their credit balance on time and in full - the
people with the highest financial capability - make for the least profits.

The best customers were the ones with lower financial capability. People
who used credit they couldn't afford would accrue interest and charges,
and that's where they made the real money. Essentially the worse a
person's credit record was (to a point) the more they wanted them as a
customer because there was more opportunity to get more money out of them.

This would, of course, lead to high levels of exploitation. Financial
capability will probably become some new psychiatric measure if it isn't
one already. The measure will be used for people with a pre-existing
diagnosis however it could also become part of a distinct mental illness
one day.

Today there are many, many examples of people with low levels of
financial capability being exploited by the credit industry. It's not
just door step lenders.

The best customer is the one who goes into bad debt but still pays. The
tactics they use to ensure they pay are to cause distress. Research
shows this may lead to mental illness. Personal experience shows crisis
debt leads to suicide.

It is inescapable logic (that evidence might prove wrong) that the
financial crisis would lead to illness and death. Smokers pay a "sin
tax" because their choice means they may use NHS services more. A few
years ago it was estimated that smokers cost the NHS £2 billion a year
and they paid £7 billion a year in tax.

When Goldman Sachs went public each of the partners got a bonus of at
least £5 million. They've got a few partners too. I've heard of people
working in the exotic derivative market earning even larger annual bonuses.

The government allotted something in the region of £10-20 million for
extra provision of psychological therapies to help with the fallout of
the banking crisis.

What the fuck?