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The last decade was a tumultuous financial period for Americans. In the mid-to-late 2000s, economic activity declined rapidly and marked the largest downturn since the Great Depression. It is estimated that Americans lost nearly $16 trillion of net worth during this time. To make matters worse, unemployment rates doubled.  The booming U.S. housing market plummeted along with the stock market which caused a chain reaction in exposing significant flaws within the financial ecosystem. America’s credit crisis was in full-effect; the lending market slowed significantly with stricter credit standards with consumer confidence spiraling quickly downhill. Based on a recent Experian analysis of U.S. lending trends related specifically to HELOCs, the shift in market conditions from 2005 to 2014 is evident. I sat down with Experian’s director of Public Education to find out what this all means for consumers and lenders. What exactly is a HELOC?  H-E-L-O-C stands for Home Equity Line of Credit. That means you are using your house as collateral for a line of credit. You can use that line of credit to make purchases up to the HELOC limit. It is similar to a credit card account with one very important difference. Unlike credit credit cards that are unsecured debt, your house serves as security for a HELOC. That means that if you don’t repay the debt, the lender might be able to claim your house as payment. What does end of draw mean? The study revealed that a large portion of HELOC loans were originated between 2005 and 2008. These loans represent $292 billion outstanding, which is significant as this group of loans nears the repayment phase, which is referred to as “end of draw.” At the end of the HELOC terms, the loan terms direct consumers to either enter into a repayment program, which can be structured over time, or to pay the loan off in one lump sum or balloon payment. Should we be concerned that the outstanding HELOC debt could have a negative impact on the economy? The aftermath of the great recession is still rippling through the marketplace, so there are concerns about the pre-recession (2005-2008) HELOCs that are now in repayment and how they could negatively impact consumers and the economy as a whole. The study further evaluated what could happen to these loans as well as other loan products and found that consumers coming to the end of draw on their HELOC are more likely to go delinquent, not just on the HELOC loan, but also on other types of debt as the increase in repayment burden is absorbed by the consumer. However, financial institutions have reached out to their customers to make sure they understand and are prepared for this change in their payment structure. You should work directly with your lender to develop a plan that will help you manage your financial obligations. What should consumers in this situation do? To help borrowers avoid crippling their credit histories, here are five strategies to implement if you are nearing the end of draw period. Know your loan terms— It’s been awhile since you’ve reviewed that loan document so it is a good idea to refresh your memory on what you can expect during this repayment period. Understanding the repayment requirements in your contract with the lender is the foundation for your strategy to navigating any payment increase. Talk with your lender—Banks want borrowers to remain in good financial standing and will work with you during this repayment period. If you anticipate any difficulty making payments, communicate that with your lender so they can help guide you to resources and information.  Evaluate and adjust your budget—Developing a budget to manage payments and other financial commitments is crucial to navigating the payment increase. Are there areas in which you can decrease spending? You can easily trim a few dollars each week by packing your own lunch and getting your ‘cup of joe’ fix by making coffee at home in the morning. Give your cash flow a boost—Can you generate some extra income from your passion or hobby? Sell your crafts on Etsy or your vintage finds on Ebay? Become an Uber driver or freelancer photographer? Creativity can pay off. Don’t be late—I can’t say it enough. Pay all your bills on time. Delinquent payments and collections can have a major negative impact on credit scores. Create calendar alerts or set up automatic payments to avoid this serious credit ding.  To learn more about the analysis, please click here.

Buying a home is one of the best times to know about your credit. According to a recent survey by Experian, many of those in the market for a home already know the wisdom of credit score insight. However, only half of recent buyers said they checked their credit when they first considered purchasing a home. The good news? 95 percent of both recent and future buyers understand the power that credit scores have in making a home purchase. Of those sampled, more than half (55 percent) are currently working to improve their credit overall to qualify for better home loan rates in the near future. Early credit knowledge offers prospective home buyers their best chance to make course corrections or improvements to their credit behaviors – something 31 percent of recent buyers needed to do after discovering a negative surprise on their credit report. Recent buyers are savvy to the impact that poor credit can have, but far fewer understand identity theft can deliver similar blows to securing a good interest rate (74 percent versus 61 percent), getting a large enough loan (66 percent versus 54 percent), or might require you to have a cosigner (58 percent versus 47 percent). Similarly, recent homebuyers understood less about the importance of checking in with your credit when preparing to refinance. Lesson learned? Pay attention to your credit year-round, and understand that what you do today impacts how your credit works for you in critical purchase moments like home buying. View the complete survey findings and methodology here: Experian Home Buying and Credit: Survey Report, 2015 

Every time I turn on my television, look out my window or drive into the office, I always see hybrid or electric vehicles on the road. These days it seems like almost everyone is going green. With all the alternative-powered vehicles out there, you’d think that the market is simply booming, right? Would you believe me if I told you that the percentage of newly registered alternative-powered vehicles in 2014 actually declined from the previous year? It’s true. With this revelation, we actually took a deeper look into the alternative-powered vehicle market to see what else we can discover. Here’s what we found: Did you know that consumers who buy “Green” vehicles, purchase them in cash at a higher rate than those that buy more traditional models? Again, it’s a fact. The point is, there are many stereotypes and misnomers about alternative-powered vehicles, as well as the consumers who purchase them. But, just as there are hundreds of stereotypes, there also is an abundance of data to help confirm or reject them. At Experian, we’re committed to using our data for good by providing information into the market to help dealers, manufacturers and consumers better understand the environment we live in – whether we are talking broadly about what metal is moving or more specifically providing actionable insights into who is “going green”. For instance, consumers purchasing an alternative-powered vehicle tend to be a lower credit risk than those purchasing a traditional model. Nearly 83 percent of consumers who purchased a “Green” vehicle fell within the prime credit category, while the same could only be said for 71.5 percent of consumers who purchased gas-powered models. Additionally, of the top five alternative-powered vehicle models in 2014, three of them came from the Toyota family. The Toyota Prius and Prius C were in the top two, while the Camry was in the number four position. The Ford Fusion and Nissan Leaf made up the third and fifth spots, respectively. It’s these insights that enable the automotive industry and its consumers to take the appropriate action and make the best decisions for them. For consumers, gaining insight into the market allows them to paint a clearer picture of what options are most popular and available. For dealers and manufacturers, they are able to gain a better understanding of consumer demand and provide inventory that meets the needs of the market. The fact of the matter is, opportunity exists everywhere you look, you just have to know what you’re looking for. You can’t let preconceived notions or ideas dictate future decisions. By leveraging data and insight, the automotive industry is able uncover the unknowns and put itself in a good position to succeed, while helping consumers purchase vehicles that meet their specific lifestyle.