SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The total dollar volume for outstanding automotive loan balances grew by $92 million from the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015, according to Experian Automotive’s latest State of the Automotive Finance Market report. It was the largest dollar volume growth since 2006.
Findings from the report showed that total loan balances also reached a record-high $932 billion in the second quarter of 2015, up from $840 billion in the second quarter of 2014.
In addition to rapid growth and record-setting dollar volumes, the automotive loan market showed increased stability, as consumers continued to make timely payments. In the second quarter of 2015, the 30-day delinquency rate dropped to the lowest level for a second quarter period in the past five years at 2.32%, down from 2.37% in the second quarter of 2014. The 60-day delinquency rate was up, but only slightly, from 0.603% in the second quarter of 2014 to 0.607% in the second quarter of 2015.
“The automotive loan market is working the way it’s supposed to, with loans being made, vehicles purchased and payments made on time,” said Melinda Zabritski, Experian’s senior director of automotive finance. “The automotive loan market is gaining momentum while maintaining remarkable stability. It’s a good sign for the economy overall.”
Lenders maintained a balanced strategy in the second quarter of 2015. Subprime loans and deep-subprime loans grew as a share of the market but were balanced out by growth of the super-prime risk tier. The combined 20.02% share for subprime and deep subprime was up slightly from 19.92% in the second quarter of 2015. Super prime grew from 20.68% share in the second quarter of 2014 to 20.99% share in the second quarter of 2015.
“Overall, lenders are taking a balanced approach to their portfolios, with slight growth in subprime and deep subprime balanced by the uptick in loans to the super-prime risk tier,” Zabritski continued. “There really is nothing alarming about the growth seen in subprime loans, provided consumers continue to make timely payments.”
On a state-by-state level, the highest delinquency rates were found primarily in the South, while the states with the lowest rates typically were found in the Midwest and the Northwest.
