Blog

Since April 2020, credit card balances and utilization rates have continued to decline, and the share of credit card borrowers that carry a balance rather than pay in full have also declined.

Since July 2020, consumers have transitioned out of assistance to varying degrees across all credit products, but a significant share of mortgage borrowers continue to receive assistance.

Millions of consumers may have business loans and commercial credit products on their consumer credit reports. New CFPB research finds inconsistent reporting practices that may impact consumer credit scores.

We continue to monitor the market to assess new and developing risks to consumers, and we share updated charts on mortgage forbearance, delinquency, and foreclosure that show an improving economic picture, yet sustained housing insecurity risk.

New CFPB research examines trends in consumer credit during COVID-19, finding delinquencies for credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and student loans remain lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Analysis and key findings from the report "A Brief Note on General Lending Patterns of Small to Medium Size Closed-end HMDA Reporters".

The Bureau hosted its 5th Research Conference that highlighted recent research in consumer and household finance. The conference brought together members of the academic and policy research communities, including a keynote address by Raphael Bostic, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

A new analysis in our Making Ends Meet survey series looks at how consumers use payday, auto title, and pawn loans.

A new analysis examines the early impact of COVID-19 on consumer finances, finding the ability to stay on top of finances was higher in June 2020 than 2019 likely due to policies to reduce financial distress.

A new CFPB report shows more than 11 million renters and homeowners are behind on their housing payments. Communities of color are disproportionately vulnerable to housing insecurity. Here's what we’re doing to prevent harm to vulnerable consumers.

In furtherance of our mission, I have directed the Division of Research, Markets, and Regulations (RMR) to take some immediate actions, and I want to share my directions publicly.

A CFPB-led research experiment suggests that people seek to find balance between paying off debt and having savings.

Consumer credit markets in September were still far from their normal operation prior to the pandemic. This blog posts compares the actual volume of credit inquiries to their usual pre-pandemic volume. Credit card and auto loan inquiries remain depressed, while new mortgage inquiries are above their usual level.

We use the Bureau’s Making Ends Meet survey to study whether financially vulnerable consumers have turned to credit card debt during the coronavirus pandemic.

This quarterly consumer credit trends report explores the prevalence of actual payment information in consumer credit reporting.

The Bureau’s new peer review policy will ensure the quality and credibility of the Bureau’s important research and further the goal of evidence-based policy making.

The CFPB Office of Research released a report that synthesizes the rigorous research of programs and strategies aiming to help consumers achieve greater savings.

As Consumer Financial Protection Week comes to a close, the CFPB continues to be here for you with resources to explain your rights, options and protections during the coronavirus pandemic.

New research report from the Office of Servicemember Affairs detailing the credit records of young servicemembers.

This report describes our fair lending activities in innovation, outreach, prioritization, guidance and rulemaking, supervision, and enforcement for calendar year 2019.

The Office of Servicemember Affairs’ annual report is a review of the CFPB’s work over the past year in fulfilling our duty to help military families.

This Market Snapshot investigates the prevalence and ease of first-time homeownership today by comparing current and historical market trends.

This report looks at how the removal of public records from credit reports affected the relationship between credit scores and consumers’ credit performance.

Data Point research report by Thomas Conkling and Christa Gibbs uses CFPB CCP to study income-driven repayment (IDR), provides statistics on borrower delinquency on federal student loans.

Among 15-year-olds in the United States, a gap in financial literacy appears, connected with socioeconomic status. We explore potential ways to help close the gap through a deeper analysis in the linked financial literacy brief.