Filed Under: Anything Peaceful
Tags: credit crunch • Henry Paulson
What Consumer Credit Crunch?
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson now says the government must directly stimulate the consumer-credit market with the $700 billion that Congress gave him. He says that market is at a stand-still. Really?Here’s what Time magazine reported Sunday:
[I]ndustry watchers say credit card and auto lending has actually held up quite well despite the credit crunch. According to market research firm Synovate, the average consumer probably has a higher limit and therefore can spend more on their credit card than they could a year ago.”Our data shows that people have still have more access to credit than ever before,” says Andrew Davidson, a VP at Synovate. “Some companies are pulling back credit to riskier borrowers, but for the industry as a whole, access and usage of credit cards is at record levels.”
Whatever you think of government’s encouraging consumers to go into debt, the excuse given for it doesn’t hold up. By the way, I’m still getting credit-card offers, and I notice that Ditech and Lending Tree are still advertising low-interest motgages.
Comment by Lisa P on 17 November 2008:
For those among you who thought that U.S. Secretary Henry Paulson planned to use the second half of the recent $700 billion financial rescue program to buy up all of those devalued mortgages that flutter in the wind like so much confetti, think again. Instead, that mortgage juice is going to be spent on consumer credit. Since a payday cash loan is a form of consumer credit, particularly for those without a credit score or who have credit difficulties, that industry should receive aid as well. Paulson says that he wants Americans to have easier access to such traditional forms of consumer credit as car loans, student loans and credit cards, and that these forms of consumer credit have become more costly because of “illiquidity” in the consumer credit sector. “This is creating a heavy burden on the American people and reducing the number of jobs in our economy,” he says. Indeed it is, but do you see what Paulson is doing here? He’s admitting that he made a mistake with his previous version of the rescue plan! Imagine if America had had a President who was willing to do the same. Perhaps America could pick up the pieces and move forward – or maybe certain problems could have been avoided. Government officials may just have the right idea: they’re planning to use some of the bailout money to encourage private investors to come back to the market. With a strengthened economy backed by investors in the world market, a more stable job market will result, and with a more stable job market, fewer people will have to depend upon payday cash when the chips are down. Sure, the industry will be there when folks need help, but the product is not designed for long-term financial dependency.