Many Americans are turning themselves down for credit before a lender ever does. That is the through line of “Consumer Credit Economy: Strategy vs. Spontaneity—Navigating the Great Credit Divide” a PYMNTS Intelligence report. Based on a U.S. census-balanced survey of 2,049 U.S. adult consumers, the report finds...
As financial pressures intensify across the U.S., a growing number of consumers are shouldering an obligation that rarely shows up as a line item in household budgets: financial support for extended family members and friends. Even as incomes fluctuate and expenses rise, helping others remains...
Experian now offers consumers a high-yield digital savings account. Available to consumers who have a paid membership with the company, the new Experian Smart Money Digital Savings Account currently offers variable annual percentage yields (APYs) up to 4%, according to a Monday (Feb. 9) press...
What began as a checkout convenience for sneakers and sofas is now threading its way into grocery aisles, utility bills and subscription renewals, as paying over time assumes a regular place in household budgeting. According to PYMNTS Intelligence’s February 2026 Pay Later Ecosystem Report, buy...
The Federal Reserve’s latest consumer credit data points to a familiar seasonal pattern, with revolving balances moving higher as households navigated year-end expenses and holiday purchases. According to the Fed’s December G.19 report released Friday afternoon (Feb. 6), total consumer credit expanded at a seasonally...
For much of modern consumer finance, underwriting has relied on static credit files that offer a delayed view of financial behavior. Those bureau-based models, Block Chief Risk Officer Brian Boates told PYMNTS, were designed for a slower economy and struggle to keep pace with how...
Household finances are increasingly shaped by credit use, as more consumers carry balances month to month rather than paying off purchases in full. According to the PYMNTS Intelligence report, “Pay Later Reshapes How America Finances the Holidays,” average monthly credit card balances rose by nearly...
Consumer spending continues to show resilience, even after years of inflation and economic uncertainty, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest Survey of Consumer Expectations. But beneath the headline strength, December’s data, which was released on Tuesday (Jan. 20), point to a...
The latest round of tariff threats tied to global trade tensions, lobbed this weekend over Greenland, arrives at a moment when millions of U.S. households are already navigating thin financial margins, limited savings and heightened sensitivity to price changes. For families living paycheck to paycheck...