Auto sales barely slowed by Hurricane Sandy

Debt collection agencies should keep their attention on auto industry financing. After a small bump in the road, the automobile industry has bounced back in November, according to a recent report by J.D. Power and Associates. "Sales have strengthened each week in November, which bodes well for a strong finish to the month and the year," said John Humphrey, senior vice president of global automotive operations at J.D. Power and Associates. "We expect healthy sales in December, as the industry continues to recover from Sandy and leads into its year-end sales events." Sales across the United States slowed at the end of October and early November, according to The New York Times. After a 1.3 percent growth in September, retail sales declined slightly in October, including in the auto industry. Ford and Toyota estimated they lost a combined 50,000 to 55,000 automobile sales because of the storm. However, the industry has rebounded, as new-vehicle sales for November hit a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 12.9 million, the highest mark since January 2008. Total light-vehicle sales exceeded 1.1 million units, up 12 percent from November 2011.