Interest Rates Drop for Second Consecutive Month, Federal Reserve Says
Consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 0.5 percent in April, according to the Federal Reserve’s monthly report. Non-revolving credit, which includes auto loans, rose at an annual rate of 7.1 percent in April. Revolving credit continued its month to month decline and fell at an annual rate of 12 percent. Interest rates on new-vehicle loans continued to drop and reached 4.13 percent in April, down from 4.28 percent in March, but still higher than 3.94 percent in January. Loan terms remained stable month to month at 62.8 months in April. This was slightly above the 62.5 months recorded in February and down from the 63.5 months posted in January. The loan-to-value ratio on new-car loans remained steady month to month at 88 percent in April, but was down from 89 percent in February and 90 percent in January. Amount financed also fell for the fourth-consecutive month to $27,797 in April, down from $27,912 in March. The amount financed in April was $243 less than the $28,040 recorded in February, and $1,582 less than the $29,379 posted in January.
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