Andrew Jennings

Student loan debt in the United States has reached about $1.34 trillion.  It’s greater than the aggregate of credit card debt.  But surprisingly, we haven’t seen much in-depth analysis about the spread of this debt burden across the expanse of ages within the U.S. population.  Our latest research reveals that, over the last 10 years: The percentage of middle-aged…

More than 70 straight months of US job growth, the official unemployment rate down below 5%, and average hourly earnings growing at a seven-year high of 2.9%. Signs of approaching full employment finally allowed the Fed to see enough stability to inch up rates without being seemingly blown off course by events elsewhere. There will be more rate hikes to come if the ec…

Our fascination with millennials and their like or dislike of credit continues to occupy its fair share of column inches – so much so that a while back I decided to take a look for myself. I shared results of that study in a prior blog post, where I revealed that millennial credit habits don’t look too different, at least directionally, from the rest of the population…

If you follow the financial press, blogs and newsletters, you may have noticed a sea change in the topics du jour over the last 12 months. As we close out 2016, receding into the background are the never-ending stories of Big Data technology, as well as the hype of how P2P lending is taking over. Instead, the focus is on blockchain, open banking, AI, fintech beyond P…

Last month the President of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank addressed the LendIt USA conference here in San Francisco. He talked about “unintended consequences” and the role regulators play in protecting wider economic interests. “I am excited for the changes to come, and I see the potency of the possible,” said John C. Williams. “But for fintech’s potential t…

In the last few weeks I have been asked on several occasions to comment on the use of “alternative data” in credit scoring and risk assessment. Sometimes it seems I am being asked to defend using “traditional data” rather than the new, cool stuff. I'm going to share a few observations that I hope can put this in context. Here’s the first: There is value in what peopl…

What does the road ahead hold for bank risk managers? As 2015 winds down, I’ve been visiting many banks all over the world. During these conversations, several themes keep recurring, suggesting both opportunity and challenges for banks in 2016. Here’s where I see things heading next year: Expanding the onramp to credit. Finding new ways to serve the “credit unders…

Happy New Year! We’re kicking off 2015 with the release of our latest credit risk survey results. The bank risk officers we polled in December offered interesting insights into the potential financial and economic pitfalls we may face this year. Here are three results that grabbed my attention. Credit card debt is expected to rise. In the banker survey, 57 percen…