Banks

The April 2025 Federal Reserve Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey, signals a clear shift in the first quarter of 2025: Banks are tightening credit standards and facing weaker loan demand for commercial and industrial loans, often an early sign of broader economic slowdowns. After standards began tightening in 2022, by late 2024, more banks were holding steady and a few even easing.

Auto Loans

The growing costs to buy and maintain a car – exacerbated by inflation and tariffs – are leading to rising auto loan defaults and repossessions and a potential crisis for American consumers left unprotected by the federal government, according to a new report by a consumer advocacy organization. The record number of defaults is a canary in the coal mine for large-scale economic problems, the Consumer Federation of America warned.

Christmas

Holiday sales are projected to rise at a slower pace than last year, signaling more cautious spending, Deloitte said recently in its holiday forecast. Why it matters: Shoppers are expected to be more deliberate with their dollars with rising costs and trade pressures.