Economic growth slowed sharply in first quarter of 2023; consumer spending held solid, but for how much longer? The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ advance estimate of real GDP for the first quarter of 2023 showed an increase of 1.1 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis (SAAR). Since […]

In this edition of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, Dan chats with Melinda Zabritski, Senior Director for Experian’s automotive financial services team. She swings by to give listeners a look into what we can glean from  Experian’s Q4 State of Automotive Finance report. She also looks at affordability and uses her crystal ball to see what what […]

Join us TOMORROW April 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET for Voluntary Protection Products – Lender Best Practices to Address the Compliance Risk presented by F&I Sentinel. Over the last several years, scrutiny placed on lenders in connection with the financing and servicing of voluntary protection products (add-ons) has increased tremendously. Recently, the industry has seen an […]

This week, AFSA submitted a comment letter to House Financial Services Committee Chair Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Ranking Member Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) supporting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Transparency and Accountability Reform Act. The bill takes several crucial steps that AFSA has long advocated. The bill: Creates a bipartisan commission to lead […]

The AFSA Education Foundation is finishing Financial Literacy Month with a bang by releasing impressive research findings from an impact evaluation done in collaboration with Professor of Economics Dr. Carly Urban from Montana State University. The evaluation measured changes in financial behaviors and knowledge, specifically among middle school, high school, and college MoneySKILL users between […]

The AFSA Extra Credit Podcast Industry Icon series continues, featuring outstanding female leaders in the consumer credit industry. This episode features Ginger Herring, President & CEO of 1st Franklin Financial. She chats with Danielle Fagre Arlowe, SVP of AFSA, on how she ended up in the industry, who her influences are, and where she sees […]

There was no gambling or bluffing needed at the 2023 Independents Conference & Expo; we had a full house and a full schedule of informative speakers and great networking opportunities. The conference is a crucial resource for the consumer credit industry to get the latest legislative and regulatory updates as well as meet and greet […]

Today, AFSA joined a coalition letter commenting on the FTC’s proposed rule to ban noncompete agreements. AFSA, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 280 other organizations express concerns regarding the proposed rule. The letter highlights the following two main problems: Noncompetes serve vital business and employee interests. The letter states that “courts, scholars, and […]

Over the last several years, scrutiny placed on lenders in connection with the financing and servicing of voluntary protection products (add-ons) has increased tremendously. Recently, the industry has seen an increase in activity on the regulatory, litigation, and legislative front in connection with these products. The CFPB and other regulators have concluded that lenders must […]

AFSA signed onto a joint trade letter urging the House Financial Services Committee to introduce legislation aimed at curbing the threat credit repair scams pose to consumers and credit markets. As several state and federal regulators have warned, credit repair organizations take advantage of consumers trying to improve their financial situation by inundating financial services […]