1
Everyday member account
Everyday member account is scoped through the member account, with effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions. The boundary, exclusions and handover evidence are stated before work begins.
104 · Community savings bank / branch banking
Reserve No. 4
Banking that still knows where the money sits.
About / premise
Not a generic service wrapper. A working institution with a native record.
Reserve No. 4 is a fictional member-owned community bank serving salaried households, tradespeople and small enterprises. Its website behaves like a transparent branch desk: balances, rates, lending rules and member governance are explained before any sales language appears.
Every member account carries effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions.
Proof / results
Numbers with a stated context
R0
joining fee for youth accounts
7.4%
fictional member reserve rate
48 h
typical small-loan decision
1 vote
per member, regardless of balance
Offerings
Four ways into the work.
2
Thirty-day reserve savings
Thirty-day reserve savings is scoped through the member account, with effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions. Capacity, constraints and decision ownership stay visible from intake to closeout.
3
Home improvement lending
Home improvement lending is scoped through the member account, with effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions. The boundary, exclusions and handover evidence are stated before work begins.
4
Small business working capital
Small business working capital is scoped through the member account, with effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions. Capacity, constraints and decision ownership stay visible from intake to closeout.
Work / dispatches
01
Market Street merchants
A 26-business working-capital circle replaced daily informal borrowing with scheduled facilities linked to verified turnover.
02
Roof & water programme
Home-improvement loans were paired with contractor quotes and staged payments for 84 member households.
03
School-fee reserve
A twelve-month sinking-fund product helped 311 members spread annual education costs without short-term credit.
Process
One loop, four controlled states.
Join & verify
Join & verify is the entry control point for a member account. The team records effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions so the next decision is made from an explicit state, not memory or assumption.
Set a reserve target
Set a reserve target is the next control point for a member account. The team records effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions so the next decision is made from an explicit state, not memory or assumption.
Price credit openly
Price credit openly is the next control point for a member account. The team records effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions so the next decision is made from an explicit state, not memory or assumption.
Review before renewal
Review before renewal is the next control point for a member account. The team records effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions so the next decision is made from an explicit state, not memory or assumption.
Insights
Details change decisions.
Reading 1
The difference between a rate and a cost of credit
The difference between a rate and a cost of credit. A working note from Reserve No. 4 on the decisions hidden inside community savings bank / branch banking. It connects the claim back to member account and names where professional judgement or uncertainty remains.
Reading 2
Why we publish arrears support before collections
Why we publish arrears support before collections. A working note from Reserve No. 4 on the decisions hidden inside community savings bank / branch banking. It connects the claim back to effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions and names where professional judgement or uncertainty remains.
Reading 3
How member capital protects a cooperative bank
How member capital protects a cooperative bank. A working note from Reserve No. 4 on the decisions hidden inside community savings bank / branch banking. It connects the claim back to effective rates, affordability notes, arrears support and board decisions and names where professional judgement or uncertainty remains.
People
Three practitioners, three accountable edges
Branch principal
Thandi Maseko
Thandi Maseko leads branch principal and owns the decisions that touch each member account. The role is described by responsibility, not decorative biography.
Credit steward
Peter Naidoo
Peter Naidoo leads credit steward and owns the decisions that touch each member account. The role is described by responsibility, not decorative biography.
Member education lead
Lerato Kganakga
Lerato Kganakga leads member education lead and owns the decisions that touch each member account. The role is described by responsibility, not decorative biography.
FAQ / objections
Questions that should be answered before conversion
Is Reserve No. 4 a real bank?+
No. This is a fictional catalogue identity. The product language is written to resemble responsible retail banking without representing an actual licensed institution.
Can a member borrow immediately after joining?+
Savings history helps but is not the only factor. Income, existing obligations, purpose and affordability are reviewed together.
Do higher deposits buy more voting power?+
No. The fictional governance model is one member, one vote, with board elections and annual reporting separated from deposit size.
Next move