Smart Borrower Blog

Archive for the ‘Home Equity Loans’ Category

1/3 of Americans Use Credit Cards for Home Renovations

Even though Americans now have more home equity collectively than ever before, very few are tapping into that equity to pay for their home renovations, with more than a third charging their home expenses to a credit card. According to a study conducted by web site Houzz and Synchrony Financial, 36.4% of all renovation purchases […]

Homeowner Equity Tops All-Time High

U.S. homeowners collectively experienced a historic milestone in the 2018 second quarter – total ‘tappable’ home equity grew to a record high, according to Black Knight Inc. Black Knight’s Mortgage Monitor Report found that U.S. tappable equity jumped up to $6 trillion, a gain of $636 billion since the beginning of 2018 and triple the amount […]

Consumer Household Debt Tops Record High

Americans now have more debt than ever before, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, but serious delinquency rates have remained near historic lows. Total U.S. household debt now amounts to $13.29 trillion as the of the 2018 second quarter, up 0.6% from the first quarter. This marks the 16th straight quarterly […]

Refinance Applications Fall to 20-year Low

Even though mortgage interest rates dropped in the latest week, home loan requests also decreased, with refinance applications dropping to one of their lowest readings in 20 years, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. “Financial market volatility in response to continued worries about trade resulted in both lower mortgage rates and a drop in applications […]

4th Quarter Consumer Delinquencies Fell to Record Levels

Delinquency rates across a broad-range of loan categories decreased in the 2017 fourth quarter, according to the American Bankers Association, a sign that the growing economy is helping consumers stay on top of their debt. The ABA’s Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin showed that delinquencies – loans that are more than 30 days past due – in […]

Study: Companies That Use Business Loans From the Start Are More Successful

Small businesses that borrow small business loans are much more likely to survive and be successful than those that don’t, according to a new study. Those who start funding their companies immediately with personal loans are much less likely to do well. The study was produced by finance professors Rebel Cole of Florida Atlantic University […]

Auto Loan Delinquencies Rise in 3rd Quarter

American borrowers fell behind on their car payments in greater numbers during the 2017 third quarter, according to new data from the American Bankers Association. And yet, delinquencies in many other loan categories fell, giving mixed signals about the strength of American consumer finances. The ABA Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin revealed that delinquencies rose in 5 […]

Consumer Credit Debt Grows at Fastest Pace in 12 Months

U.S. consumer borrowing jumped up in September, according to data from the Federal Reserve, fueled by a surge in auto sales and student loans. Total consumer credit debt rose $20.8 billion in September, or at a 6.6% annualized rate to $3.79 trillion in all. That is the fastest pace since November 2016. September’s growth exceeded […]

Student Loan Delinquencies Outpace All Others

While auto loan and credit card delinquencies are on the rise, they are extremely low compared to the rapid increase of student loans falling into delinquency. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest U.S. Economy in a Snapshot, “flows into serious delinquency for all loan types except student loans peaked during the […]

Federal Reserve Raises Rates to 9-Year High

The Federal Reserve increased its target interest rate to a range of 1 percent to 1.25 percent Wednesday, the first time in nine years the rate has been over 1 percent. The rise could affect everything from credit card rates to mortgage loans to savings rates. As promised, the Fed raised rates for the second […]