A recent blog on the Washington Post site took Senator Elizabeth Warren to task for citing a statistic in a report from the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). Our report quantified the amount that consumers pay in auto dealer markups. Auto dealers are paid large bonuses to raise the rate on auto loans above the rate that consumers qualify for...
Filter Results
On April 23, 2015, the New York Senate Banks Committee held a public hearing on subprime auto lending. Lisa Stifler (policy counsel at CRL) submitted written testimony on the predatory and abusive practices that have thrived due to the lack of regulation and transparency in auto financing.
Media outlets continue to report on the potential dangers of the rise in subprime auto lending. Auto lenders, particularly in the subprime auto lending market, are increasingly using risky practices to fuel lending growth. The New York Times, Fortune, NPR and other news outlets reported on recent news in the subprime auto loan market, providing opportunities to explain both the...
The auto finance market has grown significantly in the past few years. According to Experian Automotive, outstanding auto loan balances reached a record-breaking $870 billion in the third quarter of this 2014, an increase of 9.9% and 24.5% over the same periods in 2013 and 2012, respectively. As of the end of the third quarter of 2014, loans to consumers...
Negotiating on Car Loans Doesn't Help African Americans and Latinos Trying to negotiate a better interest rate on your car loan should generally result in a better deal, right? Not so for buyers of color who get loans from dealers. Our survey finds that African Americans and Latinos attempt to negotiate loan pricing with car dealers more often than white...
During the car buying process, you may spend hours researching prices, but make sure the vehicle financing is a good deal, too! Use this infographic to understand your auto loan options. To embed our infographic to your site, simply cut and paste the code below 
Car dealerships often markup auto loans by steering buyers into a higher interest rate loan than they qualify for. Don't let this happen to you. Find out how much extra interest may be in your next car loan with this calculator.
This chapter in the State of Lending report series presents a picture of the overall financial status of U.S. consumers today. It is based on data from the Consumer Expenditure survey, the Survey of Consumer Finances, and other national data sources. These sources reveal that, since 2000, American families have faced declining real incomes,a higher cost of living, greater debt...
Purchasing a car is a complicated endeavor, and the sales price, trade-in value, and financing are all separate and negotiable transactions. This chapter outlines how car dealers have become increasingly reliant on revenues from vehicle financing and insurance, yet those transactions are not transparent and are weakly regulated. As a result, predatory practices have created more expensive and unsustainable loans...
Automobiles are one of the largest purchases most American households will make. Car ownership affects where people can live and expands their options for jobs. So the affordability and sustainability of auto financing can have a big impact on many U.S. households. Purchasing a car is a complicated endeavor, and the sales price, trade-in value, and financing can all have...