Balances And Delinquencies Begin To Stabilize Across Many Credit Products: TransUnion Report

Consumer credit balances continued to grow across all credit products during the third quarter of 2024, but in many cases, that growth has slowed. These are among the findings from the newly released Q3 2024 Quarterly Credit Industry Insights Report (CIIR) from TransUnion (NYSE: TRU). The findings point to a level of stabilization in the consumer credit market which may signal a return to more typical credit use patterns across many lending products.

The report reveals that after a period of rapid balance growth across a range of credit products, in particular credit cards and unsecured personal loans, balance growth has slowed. While both credit products saw year-over-year (YoY) growth of approximately 15% in the year ending Q3 2023, YoY balance growth for the year ending Q3 2024 was only 6.9% for credit cards and 3.6% for unsecured personal loans.

“The moderated growth in balances is likely the result of a number of factors in combination,” said Michele Raneri, vice president and head of U.S. research and consulting at TransUnion. “For example, looking at credit cards, lenders in many cases have tightened underwriting standards which may have resulted in lending to borrowers less likely to grow balances quickly. In addition, as inflation has returned to more normal levels in recent months, it has also meant consumers may be less likely to rely on these credit products to make ends meet.”

Balances Are Growing More Slowly Than One Year Prior

The report also found that YoY growth in delinquency has moderated across most credit products. Credit cards and auto saw slower YoY growth in delinquency as compared to one year prior, while unsecured personal growth saw a steeper rate of decline.

Delinquencies Are Declining, or Growing More Slowly, Across Many Credit Products