Bad credit spending habits on the rise since summer, says ScoreSense analysis

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Nov 03, 2021, 08:13 ET

DALLAS, Nov. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers are increasingly opening lines of credit, financing purchases, and paying late, according to a recent analysis of customer credit activity from ScoreSense, a credit score monitoring product. The analysis, from January 2021 to present, reveals a "steppingstone" trend:

Bad credit spending habits on the rise since summer, says ScoreSense analysis

The number of customers opening new credit accounts, up almost 5 percent since January, has steadily grown throughout the year as people have returned to a more normal way of life.
Credit card usage spiked in the summer months as people began to increase discretionary spend for travel, dining, and other activities.
On the heels of an increase in credit card spending, which started trending up in March, delinquent account activity has trended upwards from June to present.

New accounts, spending, and delinquencies continue to trend upwards heading into the holiday shopping season.

Credit spending trends that ScoreSense is seeing coincides with a Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit by The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which found that credit-card bills rose by $17 billion in 2021's second quarter, to $790 billion nationally. This was the first uptick after four consecutive quarters of declines.

"We are beginning to see an increase in delinquent accounts, which seems to lag the increase in credit card spending. This will be a trend to watch over the next two to three months to see if some consumers revert to poor credit habits and a return to the pre-pandemic levels of credit problems," said Carlos Medina, senior vice president at One Technologies, LLC., which offers ScoreSense. "While average credit scores rose during the pandemic in 2020 and into this year, it remains to be seen when these improved averages begin to drop back to pre-pandemic levels."

Going into the fourth quarter, ScoreSense is looking at several economic factors, including the holiday shopping season when many consumers overspend. Additionally, the end to federal assistance programs such as expanded unemployment benefits and a ban on evictions could have a negative impact on consumer buying behavior and credit activity if affected consumers lean on credit to pay for basic expenses.

ScoreSense serves as a one-stop digital resource where consumers can access credit scores and reports from all three main credit bureaus—TransUnion^®, Equifax^®, and Experian^®—and understand what is most affecting their credit.

About One Technologies
One Technologies, LLC, harnesses the power of technology, analytics, and its people to create solutions that empower consumers to make more informed decisions about their financial lives. The firm's consumer credit products include ScoreSense^®, which enables members to seamlessly access, interact with, and understand their credit profiles from all three main bureaus using a single application. The ScoreSense platform is continually updated to give members deeper insights, personalized tools and one-on-one customer care support that can help them make the most sense of their credit. One Technologies is headquartered in Dallas and was established in October 2000. For more information, please visit onetechnologies.net.

Contact:
Scott Tims
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SOURCE ScoreSense