ABA: Report Shows Credit Card Market Expanded in Fourth Quarter 2017 Amid Strong Holiday Spending Season
Credit card use continued to grow in the fourth quarter of 2017 on the back of a strong holiday season for consumer spending, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest quarterly Credit Card Market Monitor. On an annual basis, monthly purchase volumes rose 3.9 percent for prime accounts and 5.1 percent for super-prime accounts, but…
HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for March 2018
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for March 2018: New Home Sales Sales of new single-family houses in March 2018 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 694,000. This is 4.0 percent (±18.6 percent)* above the revised February…
FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.6 Percent in February 2018
U.S. house prices rose in February, up 0.6 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI). The previously reported 0.8 percent increase in January was revised upward to 0.9 percent. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages…
Census Bureau: 2016 County Business Patterns Shows Overall Growth in Employment
Construction led all sections in the largest rate of employment growth with an increase of 5.0 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to new U.S. Census Bureau economic statistics released today. Overall, construction employment grew from 6.0 million in 2015 to 6.3 million in 2016. In addition, annual payroll in Construction (NAICS 23) grew 6.5…
HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report for March 2018
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for March 2018. Building Permits Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,354,000. This is 2.5 percent (±1.4 percent) above the revised…
FDIC: Use of Technology in the Business of Banking Forum Scheduled for May 7th
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will host a forum on the Use of Technology in the Business of Banking on Monday, May 7, 2018. Panels will focus on emerging technologies that are transforming banking operations; the impact of emerging technologies on retail banking, including new and innovative delivery channels, enhanced customer experiences, and economic…
Census Bureau: Economic Census Instructions Will Be Mailed to 3.7 Million Businesses Soon
The U.S. Census Bureau will mail out instructions for filing out the 2017 Economic Census to businesses nationwide in early May. Approximately 3.7 million U.S. businesses nationwide, including those in U.S. territories, will receive information by mail with instructions to set up an account to complete their economic census online. The deadline for response is…
CFPB: Request Issued for Information on Consumer Financial Education
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today issued a Request for Information (RFI) on consumer financial education. The Bureau is seeking comments and information from interested parties to assist the Bureau in assessing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of its consumer financial education programs. This includes the Bureau’s delivery of financial education through online tools,…
ABA: Consumer Delinquencies Fall for First Time Since 2012
Installment loan delinquencies fall across the country during fourth quarter 2017 The fourth quarter of 2017 saw a broad-based decline in delinquencies, with delinquencies in closed-end loans (like personal or auto loans) falling across the board and bank card delinquencies declining significantly, according to results from the American Bankers Association’s Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin. Overall, delinquencies fell…