Research | Credit Card Topics

A National Bureau of Economic Research Paper Explores How Increased Credit Access for the Jobless in Recent Decades Impacts Unemployment and the Economy

By: Matt Walker, 12/10/2018

In a Nutshell: Unemployment rates in the U.S. are often used to indicate the health of the economy. But what of the relationship between the unemployed and their accces to credit as it applies to state of the economy? A recent paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research examines this connection, building off previous research that reveals how access to credit among unemployed households increased by significant amounts between 1977 and 2010. “The Impact of Consumer... read more »

From Self-Service to Social Media: J.D. Power Research Reveals How Customers Want to Interact with Wireless Carriers

By: Ashley Dull, 10/3/2018

In a Nutshell: Consumer research leader J.D. Power recently released two studies on consumer satisfaction and attitudes toward smartphones and wireless carriers. The studies showed that today’s technology-equipped consumers increasingly use their smartphones to research products and make purchases. The surveys also identified social media and online videos as the preferred options for resolving issues and answering questions. At the same time, a significant number of customers still... read more »

Brand Finance Weighs in on How Retail Trends Will Impact Shoppers, Stores, and Sites in the 2018 Holiday Season

By: Adam West, 10/2/2018

In a Nutshell: Valuation and strategy firm Brand Finance studied the much-foretold downturn of traditional brick-and-mortar retail and found that the prospects weren’t nearly as grim as once thought — especially for consumers. Amazon’s recent push beyond digital into physical retail operations demonstrates that brick-and-mortar locations still play an important role in the market. And retailers will likely take new approaches to consumer marketing and sales that are designed to... read more »

Fluctuating Rates Not Necessarily a Negative for Homebuyers

By: Ray FitzGerald, 9/11/2018

In a Nutshell: In today's housing market, low inventory, lagging new home construction, rising prices, and tighter credit restrictions are combining to create near-gridlock conditions. Current homeowners aren’t selling, and not enough affordable housing exists to satisfy demand from first-time buyers. Consumers need impartial industry information to understand these challenges and make the right buying decisions at the right time for themselves. We spoke with Sam Garcia, creator... read more »

FollowTheMoney.org: A Valuable Resource to Track Campaign Finances this Election Season

By: Matt Walker, 9/10/2018

In a Nutshell: With election season upon us, eligible voters can be inundated with information about political candidates and causes. A voter can learn a lot about a candidate by knowing where his or her campaign finance funds are coming from. FollowTheMoney.org is a website established by the non-partisan, non-profit National Institute on Money in Politics to help voters and other interested parties do just that. The website compiles campaign donor and lobbyist information from... read more »

Equifax Study Shows How Consumers’ Buying Power Increases When They Get Pre-Approved for Auto Financing

By: Ray FitzGerald, 7/3/2018

In a Nutshell: If knowledge is power, then few car shoppers are as powerful as those with pre-approved financing. When a consumer is pre-approved for a loan before the shopping starts, he or she knows what they can afford and save time by not looking at cars that don’t match their buying power. Equifax recently surveyed 1,000 consumers to better understand their behaviors during the car-shopping process. The study found that 52% of prospective purchasers have undergone a credit... read more »

Experian Studies Show How Alternate Data Sources Could Provide Consumers with Better Access to Affordable Credit

By: Ray FitzGerald, 6/26/2018

In a Nutshell: Credit scoring agencies have used the same data to determine credit scores for years, which renders a lot of important payment information — think rent, mobile phone, and utility payments — useless to most scoring models. Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus in the US, recently released the findings from its State of Alternative Credit Data report and found that 53% of respondents believe some of these alternative data sources — which also include... read more »

Behavioral Science Helps StickK Users Create and Complete Financial and Lifestyle Goals

By: Ray FitzGerald, 5/30/2018

In a Nutshell: Everyone has a personal goal they’d like to meet. Some goals are small in scope and others can have life-changing impacts. Whatever your goal is, there’s a good chance you’ve had moments when you lacked motivation or thought about quitting. The Yale behavioral economists who created stickK spent years studying why these lapses in resilience happen and included all of their research in the goal-setting platform. StickK users create Commitment Contracts for goals as... read more »

Market Force Study Provides Insights into the Evolving Role of Bank Branches

By: Ray FitzGerald, 3/22/2018

In a Nutshell: Over three decades ago, some financial experts predicted the imminent death of brick-and-mortar bank branches, noting the advent of internet banking would overwhelm the industry and create a lot of excess real estate. While that grim outlook hasn't come to fruition, Market Force's US Banking Customer Experiences and Competitive Benchmarks Study found that consumers are visiting their bank branch in smaller, but still significant numbers. In fact, 22% of bank customers... read more »

Juniper Research Reveals Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence Will Deliver Innovation and Significant Cost Savings to the Financial Industry

By: Aaron Lay, 3/2/2018

In a Nutshell: In today’s connected world, where smart speakers are ubiquitous, and we don’t think twice about asking Siri or Alexa to help us find the nearest Italian restaurant, the popularity of artificial intelligence is immediately evident. Industries in virtually every sector are harnessing AI’s power, with the financial industry being an especially willing participant. Though still in its relative infancy, AI is quickly transforming the abilities of present-day financial... read more »

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