Category: Consumer Debt

The official Federal Reserve statistics for the month of April were released on Monday, showing that, while different types of consumer credit changed in different ways, the overall amount of available credit increased slightly over its April 2009 totals.

Non-revolving credit, including student loans, car loans and other closed-ended credit lines shot up by 7.1 percent in April 2010. By contrast, the report showed the revolving credit – mostly contained in credit cards and other types of re-usable credit – plummeted by a full 12 percent.

The overall gain mirrors recent positive indications that the economy is slowly recovering from the recent recession, but the volatile nature of consumer credit in the U.S. might mean that the recovery could be a lengthy and drawn-out process.

The positive news about consumer credit follows hard on the heels of similarly encouraging information about employment, as the Department of Labor recently announced that the nation’s unemployment rate had dropped to 9.7 from 9.9 percent. However, this was tempered slightly by the fact that much of the gain in jobs was concentrated in temporary Census workers.

While a slow but steady upturn in many economic indicators has painted a somewhat rosier picture of the future of the American economy, the Wall Street Journal reports that many U.S. consumers have been focusing on getting rid of debt rather than making new purchases.

This trend has slowed the re-growth of consumer spending, which is widely regarded as one of the most important bellwethers of a resurgent economy. The Journal says that "the Fed’s quarterly ‘flow of funds’ report, due out on Thursday, is likely to show the household sector’s debt level, which includes both consumer credit and mortgage loans, remained at about 20 percent of total assets in the first quarter."

The newspaper says that the recent news that consumer debt fell by $1 billion in April – the 17th consecutive month in which that figure has fallen – is in stark contrast to the behavior of this market sector over the 67-year history of the index.

Experts say, nevertheless, that the economy’s continued improvement will soon bring the looked-for growth in consumer spending.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the G-20 summit in a letter that American consumers can no longer be depended upon to act as a "sponge" for the entire world’s exports, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Geithner’s letter, according to the Journal, said that "given the broader shifts under way in the U.S. economy towards higher domestic savings, without further progress on rebalancing global demand, global growth rates will fall short of potential," implying that a fundamental shift has taken place in the outlook of the American consumer.

The letter is aimed in part at getting major exporters of consumer goods like Japan, China, and Germany to reduce their dependence on the U.S. market as a primary consumer of their products, the newspaper says.

Experts say that, if the U.S. economy is to recover the robust health it enjoyed prior to the housing crisis and consequent recession, a boost to consumer confidence is one of two requirements, along with a decrease in unemployment.

A need to consolidate debt appears to be widespread among U.S. citizens, according to a recent Associated Press/GfK poll which found that 46 percent of respondents said that they felt either "quite a bit" or "a great deal" of stress about their personal finances.

An Associated Press story discussing the survey’s finding said there may be several reasons why consumers are not pleased with the overall state of the economy: "For starters, it doesn’t feel much like a recovery to many people. Unemployment is at 9.9 percent. Many with a job have seen paychecks shrink. A growing number of people are at risk of falling into foreclosure, and only those with good credit can get a new loan."

The poll also indicated that a small but growing minority described the state of the U.S. economy as "good," which some experts construe as a further measure of the growing consumer confidence among Americans.

Numerous recent economic indicators have risen slightly, causing some to say that the financial crisis is over, although these positive moves have been leavened by renewed downturns, such as those in the EU.

As with many recent events that have garnered a lot of news coverage, criminal opportunists have taken advantage of the publicity surrounding the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to trick unsuspecting consumers out of their money, according to Consumer Reports.

The primary way in which the scam artists operate is by masquerading as companies participating in the cleanup and soliciting investment under false pretenses, the consumer advocacy group says. They warn that promises of rapid growth, revolutionary new technology, and fat government contracts should be viewed as red flags for those thinking about investing.

Consumer Reports cites a joint press release from industry group FINRA and the Securities and Exchange Commission as saying that "while some of the companies touting their role in the cleanup may be legitimate, others could be bogus operations that are only looking to clean out unsuspecting investors."

Consumers already strapped for cash and in need of debt counseling could be pushed over the edge into bankruptcy from losses to these scams, experts say.

The rate at which Americans repaid credit card debt during the month of April improved strongly, according to Moody’s, which announced in a recent report that charge-offs declined by 30 basis points to finish well below the March rate.

Moody’s analyst Jeff Hibbs said that "April’s improved charge-off rate, combined with our base-case expectation for the unemployment rate to plateau at 10.1 percent in the second half of the year and steadily improving delinquencies, support the long-awaited call that credit card charge-offs have indeed reached an inflection point."

The Moody’s report said that credit card delinquencies declined as well, reaching their lowest point since November 2008. April was the sixth consecutive month in which that rate had fallen, according to the report, which also noted that early stage delinquencies dropped as well.

Financial experts have cited reports similar to the recent one from Moody’s – including others that have documented measurable gains in consumer confidence and housing statistics – as evidence that the U.S. economy is finally beginning to right itself after the recent recession.

Legitimate debt consolidation and consumer credit counseling firms can be a huge help to U.S. consumers struggling to deal with mounting debt, but it can take some careful research to find the very best ones, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal says that those who are trying to get out from under more than one debt at the same time are the best candidates for nonprofit debt settlement firms. According to the report, consumers should check to make sure that the firm they choose is accredited by U.S. Trustee, which handles the vetting of such companies for the major credit card issuers.

"If your adult children or other relatives are struggling with too much debt – or headed that way – you’ll want them to be aware of the high costs and pitfalls of the slick promises of debt relief they hear on radio and television," the Journal advises.

Other experts have said that paying particularly close attention to one’s credit report can also be a helpful tool for continued financial health.

Despite a blizzard of recent legislation aimed at curbing recent excesses in the industry and help people consolidate debt, just under 50 percent of American consumers surveyed by research firm GfK say that they want the government to leave the financial services sector alone.

GfK financial services managing director Douglas Cottings said that "Americans are growing weary and earning back their trust in Wall Street and Washington is still a major sticking point. To help turn the tide, it’s critical for financial companies to refocus their time and resources on first repairing the damage to their reputation in order to win back consumer confidence."

The numbers of Americans who wanted less governmental and regulatory involvement in the financial services sector was relatively uniform across demographics, and even seemed to transcend political boundaries, with liberal areas like the West Coast posting statistics comparable to more conservative regions like the Midwest.

Experts speculate that these public opinion numbers could change as a number of delayed provisions in the Credit CARD Act begin to take effect.

If debt consolidation options look too good to be true, they probably are, according to a recent report from Consumer Affairs.

The consumer advocacy group says that there are several tell-tale signs that a given organization’s offer of debt consolidation could be a rip-off. Any offer that promises to settle debt for much less than the amount owed is a dead giveaway, Consumer Affairs says.

The author of the report, Mark Huffman, also says that "scammers like to get paid in advance. In fact, they insist on it. They want to have received all your money before you figure out you’ve been scammed. Many states have recently passed laws prohibiting advance fees for debt settlement services. Whether your state has or not, it’s never a good idea to pay in full in advance."

Criminals of various stripes have been quick to take advantage of the desperate financial straits that Americans have occasionally found themselves in during the economic slowdown, but experts say that legitimate debt consolidation options are available and can be a big help to consumers.

While most bankers believe that the general public’s view of their industry has lightened considerably since the onset of the financial crisis, the consumers themselves were far less positive, according to the results of a survey from BAI and Finacle.

BAI Research managing director Ajay Nagarkatte said that "while consumers across geography, gender and generations are discouraged right now with the banking industry as a whole, when asked about their primary bank, there are significant consumer segments that respond positively to what their banks are doing for them."

The survey found that fewer than half of all bank customers surveyed felt that the fees their banks charged were fair, and that the past six months had seen the general level of trust in primary banks experience a general decline, rather than the rise that many bankers predicted.

However, experts say, there are some signs that the economy is beginning to recover from its recent trauma, and if the banking industry can be seen to be integral to an economic resurgence, its popularity may skyrocket.