Thursday, April 9, 2026

Black Americans at a Disadvantage in Financial Services

Tue, 26 January 2021  |  credit 

Black and Hispanic Americans are being hit harder by the credit system, a recent survey from Credit Sesame finds. With poor credit impacting more than just one's financial picture—it can affect everything from a consumer's mental health to their ability to get a car loan or lease a cell phone—this racial credit gap comes at a high cost.

According to the research, which surveyed 5,000 adults in the United States, Black Americans report having the lowest overall credit scores of the groups surveyed. More than half (54 percent) of Black Americans report having poor or fair cr... Read More

Financial Stability Still Hard to Come by for Many Americans

Mon, 25 January 2021  |  pandemic investing 

Although the COVID-19 pandemic presented a curveball for many families, most Americans (81%) feel in control of their financial situation, according to a recent study by financial-services firm Edward Jones. When it comes to financial resilience – the ability to withstand or quickly recover from difficult financial situations – almost half of respondents (46%) are confident in their current abilities.

"It's encouraging to see that Americans feel confident in their financial standing given the tumultuous year 2020 presented," said Edward Jones Principal Vanessa Okwuraiwe. "Ev... Read More

Employee Workplace Needs Differ by Generation

Mon, 25 January 2021  |  workplace demographics employment 

A new survey of employees at medium to large employers found there are significant differences in workplace needs based on the worker's generation. Baby Boomers report that more compensation would improve their work, while Gen Zers desire more software to help them automate aspects of daily routines.

Most employees in this U.S. study report unexpectedly positive remote work experience and productivity in 2020, but there are notable disparities in how the shift to working from home (WFH) is impacting workers across every generation. In fact, respondents' top requests to make ... Read More

Online Car-buying Drives Consumer Satisfaction

Mon, 25 January 2021  |  transportation automation 

There was a time when consumers rated the car-buying process roughly on par with a stubborn root canal. But those days are passing into the rearview mirror now, as auto dealers move more steps of the retail process online resulting in consumer satisfaction hitting an all-time high, according to the new Digitization of End-to-End Retailing (DoEER) study by Cox Automotive.

With buyers spending less time at dealerships and benefitting from more efficient, digital retailing processes, those who were "highly satisfied" with the overall shopping experience reached 72%, up from 60% in ... Read More

Mortgage Rates Move Little in Latest Survey

Fri, 22 January 2021  |  mortgage interest rates 

The latest results from Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) show that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 2.77 percent.

“Mortgage rates have hovered near historic lows for almost a year, fueling purchase and refinance activity amid a global health crisis,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “We’re now seeing rates fluctuate a bit as political and economic factors drive Treasury yields higher. However, we forecast rates to remain relatively low this year as the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates anchored near zero for a longe... Read More

Home Values Break New Growth Records as Demand Surge Presses On

Fri, 22 January 2021  |  housing 

Home value growth continued its meteoric rise in December as towering demand for homes carried on into winter, according to Zillow's® latest Real Estate Market Report. Houses are going under contact quickly and sales far outpace the year prior as all-time low mortgage rates help keep monthly payments manageable, despite rising prices.

Typical home values in the U.S. climbed to $266,104, up 8.4% from a year ago -- the highest annual increase since January 2014.

Home value growth over the last quarter in the U.S. was 3.2% -- higher than at any time since the Zillow Ho... Read More