It can be challenging to think strategically when each day brings a new challenge, a new directive, a new mandate, or a new situation impacting your business and the community. The second quarter was a tale of two cities for credit unions. April reflected a precipitous drop in most aspects of the automotive and financial markets, thanks to shelter-in-place mandates and the pandemic sweeping across the country. But May and June told a slightly different – and somewhat better – story. Light vehicle sales were only down 24 percent in June as compared to 2019, year over year. While in a normal year, dealers and lenders would decry that number, this year there was a round of huzzahs! That’s just the world we live in these days.
Credit unions started the year on an upward trend for automotive lending. Average loan amounts continue to increase according to the latest Experian State of Auto Finance Report. In the first quarter, new vehicle loan amounts averaged $33,739, and used vehicle loans totaled $20,723 on average. Buyers also increased vehicle payments, with the average new vehicle payment jumping to $569.
After leveling off through much of May and June, financing rates dropped to their lowest level of the year for the week of July 15 to 4.24 percent, a decrease of 0.09 percent from the week prior. Rates held steady for the week of July 22, but were down 0.36 percent since the beginning of the year and down 0.49 percent from 2019 numbers.