Consumers increasingly using auto loans

The number of American consumers taking out auto loans has been steadily increasing over the past few months. These individuals have more options now that lenders are relying on both traditional and alternative credit data to determine risk. CNN Money reports that while credit cards are being used less, automobile loans are becoming more popular. According to a sales tracker by Autodata, the total amount of auto loans in the second quarter rose by $13 billion to $750 billion. The report states that the increase in these loans are due to lenders looking at alternative credit reports to determine creditworthiness, which is giving consumers more options in terms of finance. Also, individuals are buying more new vehicles, as new car sales rose by 16.3 percent from the same time last year. When it comes to automobile loans, consumers are increasing their efforts to pay back their outstanding amounts, writes Bloomberg Businessweek. The source cites a study released by TransUnion which found that the delinquency rate for the 60-day rate decreased to 0.33 percent in the second quarter from 0.36 percent in the first three months of the year. This represents a 25 percent drop from the same time in 2011.