However, the problem is potentially even more far-reaching in developing countries than for savers and home-owners In the US and UK. As long ago as the 1980s, USAID and the World Bank were busy trying to promote the development of American style housing finance systems to promote low/middle income owner-occupation and house investment at scale in poor countries, and a secondary mortgage market was sometimes promoted as a way of accessing additional capital so the housing finance institutions did not have to depend on government.