Smart Borrower Blog

Archive for April, 2012

Auto, Mortgage Rates Likely to Stay Low After Fed Decision

The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted today to keep its key interest rate at or near zero for the next six weeks, and promised to leave it there for as long as two years. The Fed’s target interest rate influences many rates in the market place, particularly mortgage interest rates and auto […]

Small Business Lending Slows in February

Lending to small businesses in the U.S. flatlined in February, according to a new index reading, as lending figures for January and February were revised downward as well. The Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index, which measures total financing volume to U.S. small businesses, was almost unchanged in February at 98.3, from 98.2 in January. […]

Subprime Borrowers Find More Access to Credit

Consumers with less than stellar credit are now having an easier time acquiring things like credit cards and auto loans, according to a new report from credit reporting agency Equifax, as lenders turn up their credit spigots in hopes of increasing market share. The report found that banks increased their credit card lending to subprime […]

Student Loan Debt – the Next Big Economic Crisis?

Americans now hold over $1 trillion in student loan debt, a growing figure which has recently surpassed total U.S. credit card and auto loan debt. As college tuition and fees continue to rise, could this overwhelming debt burden turn out to be the next big financial crisis? Average student loan debt has reached $25,000, according […]