Credit management is one of the most important activities in any company and cannot be overlooked by any economic enterprise engaged in credit irrespective of its business nature. Sound credit management is a prerequisite for a financial institution’s stability and continuing profitability, while deteriorating credit quality is the most frequent cause of poor financial performance and condition. As with any financial institution, the biggest risk in bank is lending money and not getting it back. The study sought to determine the effect of credit management on the financial performance of commercial banks in Rwanda. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population of study consisted of 57 employees of Equity bank in credit department. Entire population was used as the sample giving a sample size of size of 57 employees. Purposive sampling technique was used in sampling where the entire population was included in the study. Primary data was collected using questionnaires which were administered to the respondents by the researcher. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. The study found that client appraisal, credit risk control and collection policy had effect on financial performance of Equity bank. The study established that there was strong relationship between financial performance of Equity bank and client appraisal, credit risk control and collection policy. The study established that client appraisal, credit risk control and collection policy significantly influence financial performance of Equity bank. Collection policy was found to have a higher effect on financial performance and that a stringent policy is more effective in debt recovery than a lenient policy. The study recommends that Equity bank should enhance their collection policy by adapting a more stringent policy to a lenient policy for effective debt recovery.
Keywords: Banks’, Client Appraisal, Credit Management, Debt Recovery, Financial Performance, Lending, Money, Risk Control
