Smart Borrower Blog

Archive for September, 2013

Bigger Mortgages Loom Over Baby Boomers

Those near retirement are headed into their golden years with more and more mortgage debt, according to a recent paper , which could spell financial trouble for those retirees in the next decade. Research from economists AnnaMaria Lusardi of George Washington University and Olivia Mitchell of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in […]

Auto Lenders Continue To Increase Subprime Business

Auto loan underwriting standards have loosened dramatically since the financial crisis, as lenders open up the financing spigots to those with less-than-perfect credit, according to data from Experian Information Solutions Inc. Experian found that lenders increased their origination of auto loans to subprime borrowers jumped 10.6 percent during the past year with an increase of […]

Americans Back Away From Credit Cards in July

U.S. consumers were wary again in July of using their credit cards, but didn increasing their debt load for car and school, according to a Federal Reserve report. Total borrowing rose by $10.4 billion in July, to a record high of $2.85 trillion, a pace just slower than June’s $11.9 billion increase. Most of that […]

Student Loan Forgiveness Programs Could Entice More Public Servants

Total U.S. student loan debt has risen to epic levels in the past year, and with new graduates facing a very tough job market, it is getting harder to attract Americans into lower-paying public service positions. The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau hopes to change that. By advertising the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, the […]