AFSA in U.S. News
The American Financial Services Association’s chief economist, Tim Gill, was pleased to sit down with U.S. News and World Report’s Tim Smart to discuss the latest news on the American economy and AFSA Member Companies’ economic outlook, as laid out in AFSA’s latest C3 Index, which was released earlier this week.
The Index revealed a continued positive sentiment from lenders, who reported that the cost of doing business improved; that customer demand for financing was in line with expectations; and that looking ahead, there was cautious optimism that the current business environment would remain. You can read the full C3 Index report here. It was released a day before the Producer Price Index (PPI) was released and reflected an increase of 0.9% for July, above the 0.2% that was expected after prices were unchanged in June.
While the economic news of late has remained somewhat mixed, it also highlights the very real concerns of everyday consumers and their need for access to the form of credit that works best for them and their needs. While some economic drivers may be out of consumers’ control the ability to readily finance a vehicle, a new air conditioning unit, or back to school expenses is both crucial to consumers and the broader economy. Now is not the time for policymakers to be using uncertainty to push unhelpful proposals that might hinder access to the financial flexibility that consumers say they need.
August 15th, 2025
