Finance House

An organization, many of which are owned by *commercial banks, that provides finance for *hire­ purchase agreements. A consumer, who buys an expensive item (such as a car) from a trader and does not wish to pay cash, enters into a hire-purchase contract with the finance house, which collects the deposit and installments. The finance house pays the trader the cash price in full, borrowing from the *commercial banks in order to do so. The finance house’s profit is the difference between the low rate of interest it pays to the commercial banks to borrow and the high rate it charges the consumer.