Consumer credit is seen as a matter of course and an essential precondition enabling the individual consumer to allocate in a smooth manner his or her income to varying expenses, and allowing the growth-rate to increase in society. The consumer community using different forms of credit has increased and includes today a diversity of social groups such as the elderly, children, the rich and the poor. Credit is not just a good thing, however, as it involves risks of failing to fulfill the credit contract obligations. The point of departure for the thesis is that over-indebtedness constitutes a problem which society wishes to solve because it causes considerable difficulties for both individuals and society as a whole. Numerous rules govern loans in Sweden, from the moment the consumer contemplates entering into a credit contract to the moment when the consumer is too indebted to repay the debt when due and must seek debt-repayment-plan modification. The thesis examines and analyses which consumer protections against overindebtedness emerge from these rules. The study shows that the regulatory measures adopted in recent years are similar to each other and mostly consist of rules protecting the consumer before a credit contract is concluded. Although the purpose of other existing rules addressing the last phase of the credit process is to protect the consumer who miscalculated his or her future economic circumstances, the protection is overall weak. In fact some of the rules in the last phase of the credit process can contribute to aggravating the consumer’s economic situation.

Emr, T. Ethical aspects of debt and its consequences for society in terms of social workers. České Budějovice 2016. Diploma. University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. Faculty of Theology. Department ethics, psychology and charity work. Supervisor RSDr. Jan Mišovič, PhD. The thesis deals with ethical aspects of debt and over-indebtedness and its impact on society. It describes debt as a problem originating from the mindset of contemporary consumer society, reflects the risks of individual financial products available on the market, offered by banks and non-banking institutions in particular. It outlines the historical development of the consumer society and usury as a social problem. It describes the causes of indebtedness, risks associated with it (usury, execution) and current state of Czech society. It also includes a view of the social workers, who work with clients caught in a debt trap as a part of the professional social counseling on such issues.

The diploma work 'Financial education as prevention against over-indebtedness of Czech households' deals with the issue of constantly rising over-indebtedness. In the Czech Republic the number of people who find themselves in financial shortcoming due to over- indebtedness has recently raised. When we compare the Czech Republic with the advanced countries in the European Union, we find out the over-indebtedness is not so high. What is, however, alarming is its dynamics in the recent years. These figures are confirmed with statistic data. The phenomenon of consumer loans started to develop in the late 1990's when the first negative consequences, i.e. social and psychological impact, and distraints, which had not been known so far, appeared for the first time. Mortgages are seen as relatively healthy form of debt because their reimbursement is not as problematic as it is with the consumer loans. Investment into living is considered as long-lasting. There are several possibilities how to cope with debts. One possibility and prevention is financial education the application of which is in the centre of this work, i.e. financial education as the tool for orientation in market environment, part of social work and especially as the prevention itself. The essential part is educational activities and...