Smart Borrower Blog

Archive for June, 2014

Are Americans Already Forgetting the Lessons of the Recession?

It has only been five years since the end of the Great Recession, a period of great financial struggle for many Americans, and yet the latest data on credit card use indicates that the memories of those days are starting to fade for many consumers. According to a new survey from credit card data tracker […]

Foreclosure Filings Down 26 Percent from Last Year

Housing market fundamentals showed more strength in May, according to foreclosure data firm RealtyTrac, as mortgage foreclosure filings fell significantly from the previous year. In its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, RealtyTrac found that U.S. foreclosure filings – including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions – fell to 109,824 in May, down 5 percent from […]

Americans Take on Record Levels of Auto Debt

U.S. consumers are financing car purchases at the highest levels on record, according to new data from Experian Automotive, and they are stretching their loan terms well past five years in order to afford those loans. The Experian Automotive State of the Automotive Finance Market report found that the average amount financed by Americans for […]

Business Borrowing Makes Hopeful Gain in April

U.S. small businesses took out more loans in April, according to the latest Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index (SBLI), a positive indication that GDP will see greater growth by the end of the year. The SBLI rose to 126.5 in April, a seven year high and up 10 percent from March’s upwardly revised 115.3. Compared […]