AFSA

FDIC approved Stellantis Bank USA, a milestone for vehicle finance. Retail sales up a third straight month. Gen Z homeownership rising. Stablecoin-linked card spending more than doubled in the past year. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

American Banker highlights AFSA's C3 Index: subprime loan demand up in Q1 while overall demand fell. Senate blocked motions to restore CFPB policies on medical debt, overdrafts, and MLA enforcement. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

Rohit Chopra heading to California to lead Newsom's new consumer protection agency. CFPB recalling staff to DC. Researchers flagging database-layer risks as banks deploy AI. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

CPI up 3.8% in April, the fastest since May 2023, with energy driving half the increase. Dem senators pressing credit bureaus on BNPL data. Fed bumps long-run GDP forecast to 2%. April home prices post strongest monthly gain in two years. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

Last week, our CEO Celia Winslow traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona to speak at the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA) 2026 Annual Conference. Here, nonprofit credit counselors were brought together to share concerns their clients are bringing to them, especially relating to financial scams. Thank you, FCAA for providing the platform to have these important conversations, the opportunity to discuss the challenges borrowers are facing, and encouraging our industries to work together to address them.

Warsh expected to be confirmed as Fed chair this week. April jobs report backs the case for holding rates. Consumers leaning on credit cards and BNPL to cover gas prices. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

Welcome to New Member Monday, where each week we welcome in our new members at AFSA. This week, AFSA is pleased to welcome Proteris Compliance Solutions. All of our members play a crucial role at AFSA, furthering our mission to provide access and protections to credit. We are excited to have Proteris Compliance Solutions as a member, and for their support of AFSA’s important role in strengthening consumer finance.

Welcome to New Member Monday, where each week we welcome in our new members at AFSA. This week, AFSA is pleased to welcome @Elliott_Davis. All of our members play a crucial role at AFSA, furthering our mission to provide access and protections to credit. We are excited to have Elliot Davis as a member, and for their support of AFSA’s important role in strengthening consumer finance.

AFSA's quarterly C3 Index is out. Economy added 115K jobs in April, nearly double expectations. BofA says household card spending slowed sharply across all income levels last week.  The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

The Iran war is in week ten, and some officials say the central bank isn't being upfront about rate hike odds. Bowman calls for coordinated action on consumer fraud. AI lawsuits raising big liability questions for insurers. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

Powell staying on the Fed board breaks 75 years of precedent and prevents a board majority. Private employers added 109K jobs in April, ahead of forecast. America's Credit Unions analyzes the CFPB's final ECOA rule. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

This May the Fourth, Star Wars taught important lessons about consumer finance. Friday's jobs report could shift the Fed's calculus. Trump pushing back on the Senate housing bill. Bankers want Congress to strengthen the GENIUS Act. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

🚨THIS THURSDAY | AFSA Webinar | From Risk to Vehicle Recovery: Connected Intelligence Ecosystem on 5/7 at 2p ET presented by @DRNData | @MVTRAC | SCM. This webinar introduces One Connected Ecosystem, showing how lenders can unify vehicle location intelligence, recovery execution, and specialized skip tracing into a single, coordinated recovery strategy. Register today: afsaonline.org/webinars/

At the 2026 Independents Conference & Expo, step into the future of lending where powerful partnerships aren’t just built, they’re engineered for growth! Discover how technologies are empowering lenders and partners to find the right customers, faster. Unpack the secrets to seamless onboarding and stand apart in a crowded market. Don’t miss the blueprint to next-level origination, where digital connections spark results and the right customers, faster. Sponsored by @AlliedbizSocial .

Fed divisions over Trump's deregulation push could be Warsh's first problem. Economy grew 2% in early 2026. Private-sector wages up just 0.7% in Q1, gig work filling the gap. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

Welcome to New Member Monday, where each week we welcome in our new members at AFSA. This week, AFSA is pleased to welcome @SPB_Global. All of our members play a crucial role at AFSA, furthering our mission to provide access and protections to credit. We are excited to have Squire Patton Boggs as a member, and for their support of AFSA’s important role in strengthening consumer finance.

Welcome to New Member Monday, where each week we welcome in our new members at AFSA. This week, AFSA is pleased to welcome Lumos Insurance. All of our members play a crucial role at AFSA, furthering our mission to provide access and protections to credit. We are excited to have Lumos Insurance as a member, and for their support of AFSA’s important role in strengthening consumer finance.

Five Things Yoda Could Teach Us About Consumer Credit Nine hundred years old, Yoda was. Wise about the Force, certainly, but also consumer finance, as he gave surprisingly sharp lessons on borrowing, lending, and budgeting. Consider: “Do or do not. There is no try.” One of his most-quoted lines in the Star Wars saga is also the best advice ever given to a borrower. Make the payment. Set up the autopay. Work with a responsible lender who will work with you when things get a bit bumpy in hyper space. “Fear is the path to the dark side.” Financial insecurity can push consumers toward the worst possible decisions: payday traps, predatory “credit repair” pitches, and social-media grifters promising to erase legitimate debts. A calm conversation with a responsible lender beats a panicked click on an ad every time. “Named must your fear be before banish it you can.” Review your credit report. Open the statements. Know your finances. You cannot fix what you refuse to look at, a lesson as true in personal finance as it is on Dagobah. “Size matters not.” Some of the most important lenders in American communities are small, independent, and locally owned. The galaxy’s hero pilot was barely taller than an Ewok. Don’t underestimate the institutions that know their borrowers by name. “Always pass on what you have learned.” Financial literacy is the long game. Teach a kid how a credit score works, how interest compounds, how a car loan is structured and you’ve given them a financial Force worth using. MoneySKILLcan help: lms.moneyskill.org/students/login May the Fourth be with you. And may your APR be reasonable.

CFPB's Section 1071 Final Rule on small business lending data collection is published. S&P 500 at another record. Gas prices up 33 cents in a week. AI reshaping mortgage lending from lead gen to retention. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…

Powell is breaking precedent by staying on as Fed governor after his term as chair ends. Core inflation is at 3.2%, but GDP grew in Q1 and jobless claims are at their lowest since 1969. Card issuers absorbing BNPL faster than expected. The News You Need: clients.evodince.com/h/y/3CFE9D9287…