Late payments on consumer loans rise
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effenheimer_IHB
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<p><em>WASHINGTON (AP) — Late payments on a cluster of consumer loans, including those for autos, home improvement and certain home equity loans, climbed in the summer to their highest point since the country's last recession in 2001. </em></p>
<p><em>The American Bankers Association reported Thursday that the delinquency rate on a composite of consumer loans increased to 2.44 percent in the July-to-September quarter. That was up sharply from 2.27 percent in the previous quarter and was the highest late-payment rate since the second quarter of 2001, when the economy was suffering through a recession. </em></p>
<p><em>Payments are considered delinquent if they are 30 or more days past due. The survey is based on information supplied by more than 300 banks nationwide. </em></p>
<p><em>Late payments on credit cards, meanwhile, dipped during summer. </em></p>
<p><em>The delinquency rate on credit cards dropped to 4.18 percent in the third quarter, down from 4.39 percent in the second quarter. </em></p>
<p><em>The association's quarterly survey of consumer loans painted a mixed picture of how people are managing their debt. It suggested that some people feel more squeezed than others. </em></p>
<p><em>A severe housing slump and weaker home values have clobbered some homeowners — making it difficult, or even impossible for some to pay their monthly mortgages. Foreclosures surged to record highs and more homeowners fell behind on their payments during the third quarter of last year, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported last month. </em></p>
<p><em>A drop in home prices left some people stuck with balances on their home mortgages that eclipsed the worth of their home. Others got burned when low introductory rates on their mortgages jumped to much higher rates, which they couldn't afford. </em></p>
<p><em>"Consumer loans directly related to the housing market were hit the hardest," said James Chessen, chief economist at the American Bankers Association. "We anticipate delinquency rates will continue to rise on these types of loans in the fourth quarter of 2007, reflecting continued weakness in the housing sector." </em></p>
<p><em>Late payments on home equity lines of credit jumped to 0.84 percent in the third quarter. That was up from 0.77 percent in the second quarter and was the highest since the final quarter of 1997. The delinquency rate on home-equity loans in the third quarter rose to 2.28 percent, a two-year high. </em></p>
<p><em>Meanwhile, the delinquency rate on "indirect" auto loans — which are arranged through dealerships — jumped in the third quarter to 2.86 percent, a 16-year high.</em></p>
<p><em>WASHINGTON (AP) — Late payments on a cluster of consumer loans, including those for autos, home improvement and certain home equity loans, climbed in the summer to their highest point since the country's last recession in 2001. </em></p>
<p><em>The American Bankers Association reported Thursday that the delinquency rate on a composite of consumer loans increased to 2.44 percent in the July-to-September quarter. That was up sharply from 2.27 percent in the previous quarter and was the highest late-payment rate since the second quarter of 2001, when the economy was suffering through a recession. </em></p>
<p><em>Payments are considered delinquent if they are 30 or more days past due. The survey is based on information supplied by more than 300 banks nationwide. </em></p>
<p><em>Late payments on credit cards, meanwhile, dipped during summer. </em></p>
<p><em>The delinquency rate on credit cards dropped to 4.18 percent in the third quarter, down from 4.39 percent in the second quarter. </em></p>
<p><em>The association's quarterly survey of consumer loans painted a mixed picture of how people are managing their debt. It suggested that some people feel more squeezed than others. </em></p>
<p><em>A severe housing slump and weaker home values have clobbered some homeowners — making it difficult, or even impossible for some to pay their monthly mortgages. Foreclosures surged to record highs and more homeowners fell behind on their payments during the third quarter of last year, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported last month. </em></p>
<p><em>A drop in home prices left some people stuck with balances on their home mortgages that eclipsed the worth of their home. Others got burned when low introductory rates on their mortgages jumped to much higher rates, which they couldn't afford. </em></p>
<p><em>"Consumer loans directly related to the housing market were hit the hardest," said James Chessen, chief economist at the American Bankers Association. "We anticipate delinquency rates will continue to rise on these types of loans in the fourth quarter of 2007, reflecting continued weakness in the housing sector." </em></p>
<p><em>Late payments on home equity lines of credit jumped to 0.84 percent in the third quarter. That was up from 0.77 percent in the second quarter and was the highest since the final quarter of 1997. The delinquency rate on home-equity loans in the third quarter rose to 2.28 percent, a two-year high. </em></p>
<p><em>Meanwhile, the delinquency rate on "indirect" auto loans — which are arranged through dealerships — jumped in the third quarter to 2.86 percent, a 16-year high.</em></p>
Anonymous_IHB
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<p><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/104123/Cracking-the-Whip;_ylt=AklN2jhVWtfIPxsJCt6iVoe7YWsA">http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/104123/Cracking-the-Whip;_ylt=AklN2jhVWtfIPxsJCt6iVoe7YWsA</a></p>
<p>Faced with mounting account delinquencies, major U.S. banks are penalizing credit-card customers late on payments by hiking their accounts to maximum default interest rates of 30% and more -- even those with good credit records.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>The tighter rein on credit-card debtors comes amid heightened scrutiny in Congress of suspect industry practices. Lawmakers fear wary lenders will resort in the months ahead to "hair-trigger repricing" of interest rates on cardholder's existing balances at the least provocation.</p>
<p>"We find it totally unfair that if you're one day late, you get hit with a 30%-plus interest rate," said Linda Sherry, director of national priorities for Consumer Action. "There's been a pervasive attitude of hands-off the industry because we don't want to tinker with the marketplace, but some of its practices are just patently wrong."</p>
<p>Faced with mounting account delinquencies, major U.S. banks are penalizing credit-card customers late on payments by hiking their accounts to maximum default interest rates of 30% and more -- even those with good credit records.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>The tighter rein on credit-card debtors comes amid heightened scrutiny in Congress of suspect industry practices. Lawmakers fear wary lenders will resort in the months ahead to "hair-trigger repricing" of interest rates on cardholder's existing balances at the least provocation.</p>
<p>"We find it totally unfair that if you're one day late, you get hit with a 30%-plus interest rate," said Linda Sherry, director of national priorities for Consumer Action. "There's been a pervasive attitude of hands-off the industry because we don't want to tinker with the marketplace, but some of its practices are just patently wrong."</p>