2
2.
There
I can certainly understand why banks would want
more information on borrowers in order to assess the
latter's credit-worthiness with more precision.
are, however, other considerations: How would borrowers
like the idea of their bankers sharing confidential
information on them? What are the implications on a
banker's duty to maintain secrecy about his customer's
affairs? Not all borrowers are unscrupulous.
3.
I have an open mind on the proposal, and await
the views of the Hong Kong Association of Banks. I a
consensus emerges in favour of the idea, I would be happy
to give it sympathetic consideration, taking into account,
as we always do, the wider economic considerations.