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State of Lending: America's Household Balance Sheet Chapter

December 12, 2012
Bank Payday Loans
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Credit Reporting
Financial Literacy
Installment Loans
Mandatory Arbitration
Manufactured Housing
Refund Anticipation Loans
Rent-to-Own Contracts
Auto Loans
Credit & Prepaid Cards
Debt Collection & Settlement
Mortgage Lending
Overdraft Loans
Car-Title Loans
Payday Loans
Student Loans
Research

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 levels, and declining asset values and wealth.

Rebuilding the tenuous balance sheets of American households will require access to safe and affordable credit, along with strong protections to prevent predatory lending. Subsequent chapters of State of Lending outline CRL's perspective on how to achieve these two important goals.

Read this chapter below or download the full report.