InfoBytes Blog
CFPB blogs about growth in auto lending
On February 24, the CFPB published a blog post regarding the auto lending market. In the post, the Bureau noted that the consumer price index for new and used cars increased by nearly 40 percent over the last year, and that it anticipated “that both the total amount of debt and the average loan size will continue to increase and that larger car loans will put increased pressure on some consumers’ budgets for much of the next decade.” Among other things, the Bureau highlighted it is monitoring the loan-to-value ratios in the auto lending market, auto loan servicing and collections practices, and the subprime auto lending market, stating that with respect to the subprime auto lending market, it is “looking to better understand potential barriers to competition in the subprime auto lending market that may drive” variation among subprime interest rates for auto loans. The post pointed to research that found “that typical ‘shallow subprime’ small BHPH ('buy-here-pay-here') borrowers would save around $894 over the life of a loan if they could reduce the interest rate from 13 percent, which is typical for such BHPH borrowers, to 9 percent, which is typical for bank borrowers with similar default rates.” The Bureau also noted that it “will continue to research auto lending policies and practices that may hinder a fair, transparent, and competitive market" and will work with its counterparts at the FTC and the Federal Reserve to use the agencies' collective authorities to address issues in the market.