Welcome to the Experian Thought Leadership Hub

In this video interview filmed during Money 2020 in Las Vegas, Scott Brown, group president of financial and marketing services, sits down with Fintech Futures’ North America Correspondent Heather Sugg to share how Experian is bringing together the world of data, analytics and software to help modernize the financial services industry.

Dive into Experian Clarity Services' latest quarterly report on alternative financial services (AFS). Our comprehensive analysis of key metrics and scores offers valuable insights into consumer behavior in the AFS sector.

This quarter's report covers:

• Application Trends
• Consumer Behavior
• Loan Performance and Originations

Elevate your understanding of the AFS industry. Access the Experian Clarity Services Quarterly Insights Report now to uncover insights that fuel success in today’s dynamic financial landscape.

Join our industry experts as they discuss national economics and credit trends and housing and auto sector trends as of October 2024.

Listen now to get insights on:

• Our latest in-house economic forecasts for the rest of the year
• Key economic, credit and small business trends
• Relevant KPIs your organization to focus on

Read the latest regional consumer spending and economic growth trends, as well as our in-house macroeconomic forecasts for the year ahead.

Key insights:

• Total retail sales in the US increased by 0.4% month-over-month in September 2024, and were 1.7% higher than a year earlier.
• The labor market continues to remain tight with the unemployment rate falling slightly from 4.2% to 4.1% in September.
• Supply chain disruption has been minimal, and inflation is expected to continue to ease.

As the labor market has cooled, the granular details of hiring, unemployment and wages have become increasingly critical in understanding the health of the U.S. economy. Our new Labor Market Monitor tracks data from a variety of sources to shed light on the layers of the labor market beyond just headline job creation. 

The better-than-expected September Jobs Report adds to the list of data that suggests the U.S. economy is heading for a soft landing. While challenges remain, the current backdrop is one of strong economic activity, a solid labor market, and a more accommodative Fed. Get North America Chief Economist Joseph Mayans’ charts and key takeaways on recent developments.

Explore state-level and industry level data that banks, credit unions and fintechs can leverage to track the downturn and be correctly positioned for the recovery in this monthly report.

This month’s highlights include:

• Unemployment decreased for the second month in a row, down to 4.1%.
• Core inflation increased from 3.2% to 3.3%, driven by shelter and service costs.
• Negative rental payment activity has declined 1.9% over the past year.

Dive into key trends important for the financial services industry including credit activity, lending standards, loan demand, originations, delinquency and consumer sentiment.

Key takeaways: 

• Underlying economic activity remains solid and a soft-landing remains the base case, but weaker labor market conditions have heightened concern about the outlook.
• While there remains some stubbornness, inflation has generally continued to moderate towards the Fed's 2% target with improvement seen across both goods and services.
• Recent revisions to real income growth and consumer spending suggest that households are on better footing than previously thought.

Explore Gen Z's habits and attitudes toward credit, personal finance, marketing, fraud and more.

Gen Z fast facts:

• There are 69.3 million Gen Z-ers in the United States.
• They spend six or more hours per day on their cell phones.
• They collectively demand purpose and accountability from brands they interact with.

They demand the creation of more opportunities for people of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Lack of financial resources and funding options are seen as barriers in achieving their goals.

Source: Statista, McKinsey & Company.