• A growing number of Americans are falling behind on their car payments, an ominous sign for the U.S. economy as high car prices and persistent inflation strain household budgets.
• Car repossessions tumbled in the early days of the pandemic when the government sent millions of Americans stimulus checks. But they have progressively ticked higher as sky-high prices for used and new cars alike forced consumers to take out bigger loans.
• In December, the percentage of subprime auto borrowers who were at least 60 days late on their bills climbed to 5.67% — a major increase from a seven-year low of 2.58% in April 2021, according to Fitch Ratings. It marks the steepest rate of Americans struggling to make their car payments since the 2008 financial crisis.

Tagged: #Bidenflation