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James Van Bramer

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The Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapWeekly Wrap discussion as auto tariffs kick in, industry respondsThe auto industry is rapidly responding to tariffs that took effect last week, while subprime lenders continue to navigate risk and credit performance. Shares of the three major U.S. automakers — Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis — fell sharply at market close on April 3, dropping 5.9%, 4.3%, and 9.4%, respectively, as the tariffs officially took hold. In response, Ford and Stellantis announced on April 4 that they will extend employee pricing to all consumers, while Stellantis and GM unveiled major production adjustments aimed at mitigating the expected rise in vehicle prices. The looming price hikes also spurred a sales s...2025-04-0704 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapWeekly Wrap discussion on looming auto tariffsThe auto industry is bracing for impact as tariffs on vehicles take effect April 3. Auto stocks slumped on March 26 after confirmation that the tariffs will take effect as planned. The Big Wheels Stock Index fell 2.8% by market close, marking a sharp drop that has continued as the tariff deadline approaches.  That market dip comes alongside fresh signs of consumer unease. U.S. consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level in more than two years in March, while long-term inflation expectations jumped to a 32-year high. The University of Michigan’s final sentiment index dropped to 57 in M...2025-03-3104 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapWeekly Wrap discussion on tariffs, gen AI useTariff uncertainty continues to disrupt the auto industry; companies increasingly rely on AI for innovation and efficiency. The auto industry has prepared for an "adjustment period" as 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico were set to take effect on March 4. President Donald Trump announced a one-month delay the next day. The Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book showed signs of worry   as uncertainty trade policy sets in, with tariffs likely to raise car prices. Meanwhile, AI-driven lending platform Upstart is enhancing its auto refinance technology to enable consumers to complete the process seamlessly, without docume...2025-03-1007 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapIndustry eyes stabilized DQs, mixed pricing dynamicsThe first half of 2025 is expected to bring stabilizing delinquencies, increased demand for automotive refinance and mixed vehicle price and sales dynamics. Auto loan delinquencies are projected to cool in the second quarter as the market stabilizes, improving lenders’ appetite for auto credit. Auto originations are also expected to increase between 12% to 20% as tax refunds boost consumer demand. Refinance volume is expected to pick up in 2025 as interest rates decline and lenders revamp their refi products to tap into consumer demand.  Rates and vehicle prices also will define sales and pricing trends across the a...2025-03-0308 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapExponential Markets' Fortin on 'volatile' EV pricingUsed EV values have fluctuated amid uncertainty over tax credits and potential tariffs. “For the used EV market, if you want to describe it in one word right now, it's ‘volatile,’” Paul Fortin, co-founder and head of automotive products at Exponential Markets, told Auto Finance News. “The reason it's volatile is that the overall -car market right now is also volatile. There's uncertainty with macroeconomic variables, there’s uncertainty with industry variables, and there’s a normal volatility that exists,” he said.  In the short term, with talk of federal tax incentives being eliminated, consume...2025-02-2419 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapCFPB halted, Q4 earnings continueThe Department of Government Efficiency, run by Elon Musk, effectively shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over the weekend, adding to uncertainty regarding operations after CFPB Director Rohit Chopra was fired last week.  Auto retailers Asbury Automotive and Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter reported a double-digital year-over-year increase in finance and insurance revenue as sales rose.  Ford Credit also reported Q4 earnings last week. The captive’s U.S. and Canada consumer loan and lease outstandings increased 8.4% YoY to $89.2 billion as lease volume picked up and credit losses rose. In powersports, Harley...2025-02-1008 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapAuto industry eyes tariffs, credit performanceAuto lenders are keeping an eye on loan production, credit performance and vehicle prices as tariffs loom. Subprime lender Credit Acceptance Corp.’s originations ticked up 0.3% year over year in the fourth quarter to 78,911 loan assignments as the financier grew its number of active dealers.  Negative equity and rising delinquencies continue to be a concern for auto lenders as consumers navigate changing vehicle values and inflationary pressures.  Meanwhile, looming tariffs against Canada and Mexico are expected to drive car prices higher, likely exacerbating dealers’ challenges related to supply, profit margins and sales. In this...2025-02-0407 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapWildfires spark deferral offers; funding off to strong 2025Wildfires impacting large areas of California are contributing to higher auto insurance costs in the state and more deferral offerings from lenders for affected borrowers.  The annual cost of full-coverage car insurance in California rose 47.8% year over year in December to $2,575, compare with the average cost across the U.S. of $2,313. The current fires started Jan. 7.  Meanwhile, lenders’ funding activity is off to a strong start in 2025 with several issuing asset-backed securitization (ABS) deals. Lendbuzz issued its first auto ABS deal of the year, joining a wave of transactions during the first two weeks.  Sout...2025-01-1309 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapA look back at top automotive trends in 2024The past year has largely been defined by persistent affordability concerns even as vehicle prices stabilize and interest rates come down, as costs for everyday expenses make it challenging for consumers to keep current on debt.  The most-read stories of 2024 highlight readers’ interest in how financial institutions navigated affordability challenges and managed risk while looking to maintain or grow their auto books.  Technology was core to lenders’ efforts in tapping into new consumers, improving customer experience and making operations more efficient to save time.  In powersports, the market largely slowed in 2024 as high costs dete...2025-01-0609 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapAffordability key challenge moving into 2025Bank pullback in asset-backed lending has spurred growth for lenders that provide floorplan financing for independent dealers, while banks are expected to further tighten credit access in 2025 as demand weakens. Floorplan providers First Business Bank and NextGear Capital have seen a boost in their portfolios as dealers use more of their floorplan lines of credit for inventory and banks scale back in asset-backed lending, including auto. A higher percentage of banks are projected to tighten credit in early 2025 as consumer demand for auto financing is expected to weaken, according to a new Auto Finance News forecast. ...2024-12-1607 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapUsed-vehicle prices rise, EV financing share upThe Manheim Used-Vehicle Value Index ticked up 0.2% YoY and 1.3% month over month in November to 205.4.  High car prices have contributed to affordability pressures for consumers, but incentives are helping drive sales. The latest edition of the Beige Book, citing data collected on or before Nov. 22 by the Federal Reserve, highlights areas of the country where sales activity has rebounded with incentives, while inventory continues to build. EV sales also grew in November, with nearly every major OEM reporting YoY increases. EV financing share rose 30.7% YoY in the third quarter, making up 10.1% of total new-vehicle financing.  ...2024-12-0906 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapIncentives pick up, dealers eye LTV requirementsAffordability, credit performance, leasing and digital innovation have been top of mind for auto lenders in 2024.  Car shoppers saw some relief over the holiday weekend as Black Friday deals offered low interest rates and cash-back incentives.  Lenders are also focused on sustainable growth. U.S. Bank is investing in digital capabilities across auto, recreational vehicle and marine product financing. It aims to support growth as rates decline.  Meanwhile, a rise in negative equity is adding to challenges for dealers looking to sell add-on products such as maintenance plans, even while loan-to-value ratios are pus...2024-12-0206 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapPodcast: Synthetic fraud rises in powersports, autoAuto originations have picked up industrywide even as average payments remain elevated, while manufacturers are increasing incentives to move inventory.  Originations totaled 6.4 million contracts in the second quarter, up 0.7% year over year, according to the latest data from TransUnion. The return of leasing and an uptick in incentives are helping address affordability concerns and drive sales.  As of October, the average transaction price (ATP) of a new vehicle landed at $48,623, up 1.7% YoY, according to Kelley Blue Book. New-vehicle incentives climbed to 7.7% of ATP compared with 5% of ATP in October 2023. Meanwhile, auto loan demand wea...2024-11-1810 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapPodcast: Discussion on automakers' October salesSales at most major automakers increased in October, driven in part by an increase in EV sales. Overall sales increased for American Honda, Ford Motor Co., Hyundai Motor America, Mazda North America and Subaru of America in October. Volvo, however, saw U.S. sales fall 17% year over year to 9,360 vehicles. American Honda’s EV sales rose 31.1% YoY in October. Honda joined Hyundai Motor America and Volvo in reporting EV sales increases.  Ford Motor Co., however, saw EV sales dip 8.3% YoY while hybrid sales increased 38.5% YoY in October. BMW Group saw U.S EV sales...2024-11-1105 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapPodcast: Discussion on Q3 earnings, auto lease ABS issuanceMore auto lenders announced year-over-year origination growth last week in their third-quarter earnings reports. Carvana posted a 35.5% YoY increase in originations in Q3 as retail sales jumped 34.2% YoY and 7.1% quarter over quarter to 108,651 units. The increase in originations comes as the financier and retailer saw “record performance in virtually every key financial measure,” Carvana Chief Executive Ernie Garcia said during the company’s Oct. 30 earnings call.  Subprime lender Credit Acceptance Corp.’s (CACC) consumer loan assignments increased 17.7% YoY but fell 4.4% sequentially on a unit basis to 95,670, according to its Oct. 31 earnings release. CACC’s consumer loan assignm...2024-11-0403 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapQ3 earnings season kicks off, Octane enters marine marketChase Auto and Wells Fargo kicked off the Q3 earnings season last week, with both lenders reporting flat or lower origination volume on a year-over-year basis. Wells Fargo’s auto originations hit $4.1 billion in Q3, up 11% sequentially and unchanged compared with Q3 2023, according to the bank’s earnings supplement published Oct. 11.  The bank's auto loans 30-plus days delinquent remained flat sequentially at 2.3%, down from 2.6% during the same period last year. Chase Auto, however, saw origination volume inch down quarter over quarter and YoY in the third quarter while delinquencies inched up. Chase’s auto originations fell 7.7...2024-10-1404 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapAuto credit performance worsens, prompts provision spikeHigh rates and rising consumer debt levels still drive a worsening auto loan landscape.  Delinquencies and losses rose across prime and nonprime securitized auto loans in Kroll Bond Rating Agency’s August auto loan asset-backed securitization index published Sept. 23. Prime recovery rates increased while nonprime recoveries declined.  CarMax Auto Finance (CAF) also increased its provision for credit losses by 25.4% to $112.6 million for the fiscal second quarter of 2025, ended Aug. 31, according to the company’s earnings release. CAF’s finance income fell 14.4% year over year to $115.6 million, while originations ticked down 1.7% YoY to $2.2 billion.  Meanwhile...2024-09-3006 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapPodcast: Unlocking EV potential through leases, used marketLeasing an EV or buying a used one offers a more affordable option in today's challenging market, but many consumers remain hesitant. Nearly 8.5% of new purchases were EVs, and more than 46% of those are leased, according to Experian’s second-quarter state of the auto market report, published on Sept. 5. Part of the drive in EV leasing is affordability. The average payment difference between a lease and a loan across all EV models is $88 per month, according to Experian. EV lease deals often qualify for the $7,500 tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act.  Used EV va...2024-09-2319 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapUsed-car demand strong amid tight credit, rising DQsDemand for used vehicles is strong as supply remains limited and affordability is top of mind for consumers.  The used-car turnover rate rose 8.4% year over year in August to 43 days for franchise dealers, signifying that inventory is being sold quickly.  As consumers look for more affordable cars, inflationary pressures weigh on credit performance. Auto loans 30-plus days delinquent increased 16 basis points YoY to 2.88% in the second quarter.  Credit access tightened in August, with the Dealertrack Credit Availability Index down 0.5% month over month and 1.7% YoY to 92.5.  In this episode of “Weekly Wrap,” Auto Finan...2024-09-1706 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapAutomakers pull back on DEI amid social shiftsSeveral companies in the automotive and powersports industries made changes to their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives following social pressure to scale back targeted DEI strategies.  Ford Motor Co. joined Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, John Deere and Polaris in publicly announcing changes to their DEI programs, including in how the companies define and measure DEI at the organizations. Still, several auto lenders are maintaining their inclusion-based DEI initiatives. Meanwhile, market share data last week shows that incentives are driving up captive market share, especially on the new-vehicle side.  August sales also reflect improved hybrid vehic...2024-09-0906 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapWeekly Wrap discussion on originations, AI-driven lendingIn this episode of the “Weekly Wrap,” Auto Finance News Associate Editors Ashley Savage and James Van Bramer discuss trends in financier earnings, AI-based lending updates, finance and insurance revenue and the powersports market for the week ended Aug. 9.  2024-08-1204 minThe Auto Finance RoadmapThe Auto Finance RoadmapWeekly Wrap discussion on Q2 earnings, e-contractingIn this episode of the “Weekly Wrap,” Auto Finance News Associate Editors Ashley Savage and James Van Bramer discuss trends in financier earnings, technology, EVs and the powersports market for the week ending Aug. 2.   2024-08-0504 minNew RustaceanNew RustaceanMeta 3: Happy CodingA story and a dream (and the promise of Rust): the final episode of New Rustacean! Show Notes Rust by Example Winning Slowly Mass Affection buttondown.email/rewrite patreon.com/chriskrycho Sponsors Adam Green Aleksey Pirogov Alexander Kryvomaz Alexander Lozada Alexander Payne Andrew Dirksen Andrew Thompson Anthony Deschamps Anthony Scotti Arlen Haftevani Arlo (Hyena) Arun Kulshreshtha Behnam Esfahbod Benjamin Manns Benjamin Wasty Brandon ‘Spanky’ Mills Brian Casiello Brian Manning Brian McCallister Bryan Stitt Caryn Finkelman Cass Costello Cat Dad Chap Lovejoy Charlie Egan Chip Chris Palmer Christoffer Ceutz Cristian Paul Dan Abrams Daniel Daniel Bros...2019-05-2700 minNew RustaceanNew RustaceanNews: Rust 1.35WASI, Option::copied, and the future of async/await syntax! Show Notes Rust 1.34.1 release notes blog post discussion about Error::type_id Rust 1.34.2 release notes blog post discussion about Error::type_id Rust 1.35 release notes blog post WASI The Bike Shed episode Async/await std::futures API docs internal thread on syntax for .await Sponsors Thanks to Parity for sponsoring the show and hiring Rust developers! Patreon Sponsors Adam Green Aleksey Pirogov Alexander Kryvomaz Alexander Lozada Alexander Payne Andrew Dirksen Andrew Thompson Anthony Deschamps Anthony Scotti Arlen Haftevani Arlo (Hyena) ...2019-05-2400 minNew RustaceanNew RustaceanCYSK: bindgen and cbindgenAutomatic generation of FFI types between Rust and C APIs. Show Notes bindgen the official guide API docs cbindgen a blog post by one of the main authors of the crate rust-ffi Binding libraries for scripting languages PyO3 Neon Rustler a great write-up from the folks at Discord Helix Sponsors Thanks to Parity for sponsoring the show and hiring Rust developers! Patreon Sponsors Adam Green Aleksey Pirogov Alexander Kryvomaz Alexander Lozada Alexander Payne Andrew Dirksen Andrew Thompson Anthony Deschamps Anthony Scotti Arlen Haftevani Arlo (Hyena) Arun Kulshreshtha Behnam Esfahbod Benjamin Manns ...2019-05-1800 minNew RustaceanNew Rustaceane031: FFI Deep DiveExposing Rust types and functions to C API consumers. Show Notes It’s impossible to make the declarations below follow the order I talked through them on the recording without also making them horrible to read, so just use this outline instead: add_in_rust Strings concat_strings free_rust_string Point point_translate union OpaquePoint opaque_point_new opaque_point_translate opaque_point_free Links Rust FFI Omnibus the repository for the show RFC #2195 Sponsors Thanks to Parity for sponsoring the show and hiring Rust developers! Pa...2019-05-1400 minNew RustaceanNew Rustaceane030: Can You See Me Now?Item visibility and pub(<restricted>) as API design tools. Show Notes The easiest and most effective way to understand the example in this case will simply be to look directly at the source code. You can read the docs for each of the nested modules, but you’ll be doing a lot of navigating around for that. Also, I am using Cargo’s --document-private-items flag, so that you can see all the items in all the modules, even those which are not public, but note that usually you would not see docs...2019-04-2700 minNew RustaceanNew RustaceanNews: Rust 1.33 and 1.34Moar const fn, some Pin, and alternative Cargo registries! Show Notes 1.33 release notes Pin RFC API docs 1.34 release notes Sponsors Thanks to Parity for sponsoring the show and hiring Rust developers! Patreon Sponsors Adam Green Aleksey Pirogov Alexander Kryvomaz Alexander Lozada Alexander Payne Andrew Dirksen Andrew Thompson Anthony Deschamps Anthony Scotti Arlen Haftevani Arlo (Hyena) Arun Kulshreshtha Behnam Esfahbod Benjamin Manns Benjamin Wasty Brandon ‘Spanky’ Mills Brian Casiello Brian Manning Brian McCallister Bryan Stitt Caryn Finkelman Cass Costello Cat Dad Chap Lovejoy Charlie Egan Chip Chris Palmer Christoffer Ceutz Cristian Paul...2019-04-2000 minNew RustaceanNew Rustaceane029: I’m Out to CUsing Rust’s Foreign Function Interface (FFI) with C! Show Notes The code samples here directly match the things I described in the show, so you will likely want to look at add and ffi::add, then Point, translate, and ffi::translate in that order. Links Other helpful Rust FFI discussions: The Rust Programming Language’s materials the nomicon Rust FFI Omnibus the Reference’s discussion the associated Rust API docs Sponsors Thanks to Manning for sponsoring the show and giving all of you a 40%-off discount on the...2019-04-0400 minNew RustaceanNew RustaceanBonus 14: How the Sausage Gets MadeHow I make the show, and why you won’t find it on Google Play, Spotify, or Stitcher. Show Notes Winning Slowly guest lectures on podcasting: A, B Audio recording/editing/production software: Icecast Rogue Amoeba Audio Hijack Loopback Ferrite iZotope RX previous episodes of interest building a markdown link extractor using rustdoc Sponsors Thanks to Parity for sponsoring the show and hiring Rust developers! Patreon Sponsors Adam Green Aleksey Pirogov Alexander Kryvomaz Alexander Lozada Alexander Payne Andrew Dirksen Andrew Thompson Anthony Deschamps Anthony Scotti Arlen Haftevani Arlo (Hyena) Arun Ku...2019-03-2400 minNew RustaceanNew RustaceanBonus 13: I Still Make Silly MistakesA story about parsing command-line arguments manually and some thoughts on “rookie mistakes.” Show Notes why you might want to invoke the same program with different names Python’s argparse library Commander in Node clap structopt pulldown-cmark Sponsors Thanks to Parity for sponsoring the show and hiring Rust developers! Patreon Sponsors Adam Green Aleksey Pirogov Alexander Kryvomaz Alexander Lozada Alexander Payne Andrew Dirksen Andrew Thompson Anthony Deschamps Anthony Scotti Arlen Haftevani Arlo (Hyena) Behnam Esfahbod Benjamin Manns Benjamin Wasty Brandon ‘Spanky’ Mills Brian Casiello Brian Manning Brian McCallister Bryan Stitt Caryn Fink...2019-02-2800 minNew RustaceanNew Rustaceane028: Meet My AssociatesAssociated items: functions and methods, constants, types, and (very briefly!) GATs. Show Notes Iterator source the first Traits deep dive episode RFC #1598 RFC #195 The Reference on associated items Rust 1.20 deals.manning.com/new-rustacean Sponsors Thanks to Manning for sponsoring the show and giving all of you a 40%-off discount on their whole store (but especially Carol Nichols’ and Jake Goulding’s Rust in Motion video content and the Rust in Action MEAP!) at deals.manning.com/new-rustacean Patreon Sponsors Adam Green Aleksey Pirogov Alexander Kryvomaz Alexander Lozada Alexander Payne Andrew Dirk...2019-02-2200 min