STATISTICS SHOW THAT THE OFFICIAL CRIME RATE IS LOWER IN THE SEMIURBAN THAN IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. CONTROL MEASURES BY BANK DIRECTORS FOR BAD CHECKS RANGE FROM LESS FORMAL TO MORE FORMAL AND INCLUDE TELEPHONE CALLS (ONE OR SEVERAL) TO CLIENTS, RETURN OF CHECKS, MEETINGS WITH CLIENTS, OFFICIAL WARNING LETTERS, AND CLOSING OF CLIENTS' ACCOUNTS OR COURT ACTION; SUCH MEASURES DEPEND ON THE HONESTY OF THE CLIENT AND ON HIS FINANCIAL SITUATION, AND ARE EFFECTIVE IN 75 TO 95 PERCENT OF THE CASES. WHILE URBAN BANKS TEND TO TELEPHONE ONLY ONCE BEFORE RESORTING TO MORE FORMAL MEASURES AND FINALLY TO COURT PROCEEDINGS, SEMIURBAN AND RURAL BANKS CALL SEVERAL TIMES, AND RURAL BANKS USUALLY CLOSE THE ACCOUNT RATHER THAN GOING TO COURT. IN URBAN BANKS, 82 PERCENT OF THE INTERVENTIONS ARE INFORMAL, IN SEMIURBAN BANKS, 87 PERCENT, AND IN RURAL BANKS, 99 PERCENT, INDICATING THAT INFORMAL CONTROLS ARE MOST COMMONLY USED IN THE RURAL SETTING. RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT THE HIGH EFFECTIVENESS OF INFORMAL CONTROLS IN RURAL BANKS STEMS FROM THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DIRECTOR AND THE CLIENT AND FROM THE SOCIAL INSTITUTION OF THE SMALL COMMUNITY, THAT PERSONALIZED SERVICE IS LESS COMMON IN SEMIURBAN BANKS AND EVEN LESS SO IN URBAN BANKS, ALTHOUGH INFORMAL CONTROLS ARE FREQUENTLY EMPLOYED EVEN IN THESE SETTINGS, AND THAT INFORMAL CONTROLS ARE PREFERRED EVEN IN URBAN BANKS BECAUSE THEY SAVE TIME AND ARE REASONABLY EFFECTIVE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT LEGAL PENALTIES FOR OTHER MINOR CRIMES MIGHT BE SUCCESSFULLY REPLACED BY SUCH INFORMAL MEASURES. THREE TABLES ARE SUPPLIED. -- IN FRENCH. (KMD)