The Conference Board’s U.S. Consumer Confidence Index fell seven points to 98.3 in February, driven by an underwhelming short-term outlook for income, business and employment prospects. +
InformedIQ.com’s Jessica Gonzalez says a recent U.S. Treasury report proves artificial intelligence is changing the auto finance industry in several ways, enhancing efficiency as well as risk. +
Few of the leading economists surveyed by Wolters Kluwer expect the Federal Reserve to announce an interest rate cut at its March meeting as inflation shows few signs of abating in 2025. +
TransUnion’s latest credit insights report forecasts gains in auto, home and unsecured personal loan originations tempered by concerns over changing federal policy and paused interest rate cuts. +
A Protective Asset Protection survey found that 57% of U.S. dealers said at least half their customers bought F&I products online last year and 60% believe offering those products online improved sales. +
The South Carolina Consumer Freedom Act has stalled following a subcommittee hearing, a setback for Scout Motors’ campaign to sell directly to consumers in the state where its EVs will be built. +
Honda and Nissan announced they will not merge, ending a proposed deal that would have created the world’s No. 3 carmaker and helped the companies compete against emerging Chinese rivals. +
CDK Global accused rival Tekion of “anti-competitive practices” in a newly filed federal lawsuit, escalating a legal battle over ownership of and access to data generated by dealerships. +
The consumer price index rose for the fourth straight month in January, pushing inflation to a 3% year-over-year increase in the same month the Fed announced a pause to interest rate cuts. +
SubPrime’s Nick Zulovich reports on the latest developments as federal regulators that govern auto retail and finance are reshaped and reformed under a second Trump administration. +
