The susu informal accounts used in the Caribbean and among West Indian immigrants to the United States are similar.
[1] Today, Susu collectors provide many Ghanaians who would otherwise be denied credit with access to money they need to start up small venture projects that in many cases benefit the community as a whole.
If larger sums are required, and they know the client personally, they can offer credit at higher rates than the banks, but without collateral to secure the loan.
Susu collectors usually run their businesses from kiosks located in the market place and act as mobile bankers.
K. Little's 1957 article in American Anthropology, as well as the book Traditional Peoples of the World by National Geographic describes susu groups in this context.