Key information about United States Bank Lending Rate

• United States Bank Lending Rate was reported at 7.500 % pa in Mar 2025.
• This stayed constant from the previous number of 7.500 % pa for Mar 2025.
• US Bank Lending Rate data is updated daily, averaging 4.250 % pa from Aug 1955 to 24 Mar 2025, with 25436 observations.
• The data reached an all-time high of 8.500 % pa in 18 Sep 2024 and a record low of 3.250 % pa in 16 Mar 2022.
• US Bank Lending Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data.
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table: Bank Lending Rate: Daily.

Car loan interest rates in the United States decreased since June 2024. Thus, the period of rapidly rising interest rates, when they increased from less than four percent in February 2022 to 7.9 percent two years later, has come to an end. The Federal Reserve interest rate is one of the main causes of the interest rates of loans rising or falling. If inflation stays under control, the Federal Reserve will start cutting the interest rates, which would have the effect of the cost of car loans falling too. How many cars have financing in the United States? Car financing exists because not everyone who wants or needs a car can purchase it outright. A financial institution will then lend the money to the customer for purchasing the car, which must then be repaid with interest. Most new vehicles in the United States in 2024 were purchased using car loans. It is not as common to use car loans for purchasing used vehicles as for new ones, although over a third of used vehicles were purchased using loans. The car industry in the United States The car financing business is huge in the United States, due to the high sales of both new and used vehicles in the country. A lot of the United States is very car-centric, which means that, outside large cities, it can often be difficult to do their daily commutes through other transportation methods. In fact, only a small percentage of U.S. workers used public transport to go to work. That is one of the factors that has helped establish the importance of the automotive sector in North America. Nevertheless, there are still countries in Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe with higher car-ownership rates than the United States.

Graph and download economic data for Bank Prime Loan Rate (DPRIME) from 1955-08-04 to 2025-03-24 about prime, loans, interest rate, banks, interest, depository institutions, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Bank Prime Loan Rate (WPRIME) from 1955-08-10 to 2025-03-19 about prime, loans, interest rate, banks, interest, depository institutions, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for 15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States from 1991-08-30 to 2025-03-20 about 15-year, fixed, mortgage, interest rate, interest, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Commercial Bank Interest Rate on Credit Card Plans, Accounts Assessed Interest (TERMCBCCINTNS) from Nov 1994 to Nov 2024 about consumer credit, credit cards, loans, consumer, interest rate, banks, interest, depository institutions, rate, and USA.

As of January 2025, financing the purchase of used cars was generally more expensive than for new cars. The average interest rate of a loan with a maturity of 60 months was 9.01 percent for used cars and 7.47 percent for new cars. Nevertheless, the monthly payments of car loans were on average higher for new units than for used ones in 2024. That was mainly because the amount financed for new cars tends to be higher.

The loans for used cars generally had higher interest rates than loans for new cars in the United States in 2025. In February of that year, loans with maturity of 48 months had an average interest rate of 8.13 percent for used cars, and 7.43 percent for new cars. The interest rates for 60-month new car loans reached its highest point of the past decade in the first half of 2024.

As of the third quarter of 2024, 72-month new car loans granted by commercial banks in the United States had an interest rate of 8.76 percent. Meanwhile, auto loans at finance companies had an interest rate of 6.11 percent, which is lower than the average rate in commercial banks. The finance rates for new cars have only decreased at finance companies.

The U.S. bank prime loan rate has undergone significant fluctuations over the past three decades, reflecting broader economic trends and monetary policy decisions. From a high of 10.1 percent in 1990, the rate has seen periods of decline, stability, and recent increases. As of February 2025, the prime rate stood at 7.5 percent, marking a notable rise from the historic lows seen in the early 2020s. Federal Reserve's impact on lending rates The prime rate's trajectory closely mirrors changes in the federal funds rate, which serves as a key benchmark for the U.S. financial system. In 2023, the Federal Reserve implemented a series of rate hikes, pushing the federal funds target range to 5.25-5.5 percent by year-end. This aggressive monetary tightening was aimed at combating rising inflation, and its effects rippled through various lending rates, including the prime rate. Long-term investment outlook While short-term rates have risen, long-term investment yields have also seen changes. The 10-year U.S. Treasury bond, a benchmark for long-term interest rates, showed an average market yield of 2.13 percent in the second quarter of 2024, adjusted for constant maturity and inflation. This figure represents a recovery from negative real returns seen in 2021, reflecting shifting expectations for economic growth and inflation. The evolving yield environment has implications for both borrowers and investors, influencing decisions across the financial landscape.

Graph and download economic data for Bank Prime Loan Rate (RIFSPBLPND) from 1955-08-04 to 2025-03-24 about prime, loans, interest rate, banks, interest, depository institutions, rate, and USA.

The U.S. federal funds rate peaked in 2023 at its highest level since the 2007-08 financial crisis, reaching 5.33 percent by December 2023. A significant shift in monetary policy occurred in the second half of 2024, with the Federal Reserve implementing regular rate cuts. By December 2024, the rate had declined to 4.48 percent. What is a central bank rate? The federal funds rate determines the cost of overnight borrowing between banks, allowing them to maintain necessary cash reserves and ensure financial system liquidity. When this rate rises, banks become more inclined to hold rather than lend money, reducing the money supply. While this decreased lending slows economic activity, it helps control inflation by limiting the circulation of money in the economy. Historic perspective The federal funds rate historically follows cyclical patterns, falling during recessions and gradually rising during economic recoveries. Some central banks, notably the European Central Bank, went beyond traditional monetary policy by implementing both aggressive asset purchases and negative interest rates.

Graph and download economic data for Bank Prime Loan Rate Changes: Historical Dates of Changes and Rates from 1955-08-04 to 2024-12-20 about prime, loans, interest rate, banks, interest, depository institutions, rate, and USA.

Commercial bank interest rates on personal loans with a maturity of 24 months in the United States were significantly higher in February 2024 than a year earlier. That month, that finance rate amounted to 12.49 percent. Since the year 2000, there have only been a few occasions in which the finance rate was 11 percent or higher.

Key information about United States Short Term Interest Rate

• United States Short Term Interest Rate: Month End: Treasury Bills: 3 Months was reported at 4.20 % pa in Feb 2025, compared with 4.20 % pa in the previous month.
• US Short Term Interest Rate data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1954 to Feb 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 15.52 % pa in Aug 1981 and a record low of -0.01 % pa in Sep 2015.
• Short Term Interest Rate is reported by reported by Federal Reserve Board.

• In the latest reports, US Treasury Notes Yield: Constant Maturity: Nominal: 10 Years was reported at 4.45 % pa in Feb 2025.
• The cash rate (Policy Rate: Month End: Effective Federal Funds Rate) was set at 4.33 % pa in Jan 2025.

Historical dataset of the daily level of the federal funds rate back to 1954. The fed funds rate is the interest rate at which depository institutions (banks and credit unions) lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight, on an uncollateralized basis. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets eight times a year to determine the federal funds target rate.

United States Terms of Credit: Fin Co: Used Car Loans: Interest Rate data was reported at 14.210 % pa in Mar 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.460 % pa for Dec 2017. United States Terms of Credit: Fin Co: Used Car Loans: Interest Rate data is updated quarterly, averaging 12.590 % pa from Mar 2008 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.560 % pa in Jun 2015 and a record low of 10.030 % pa in Jun 2009. United States Terms of Credit: Fin Co: Used Car Loans: Interest Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Reserve Board. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.KA011: Consumer Credit Outstanding and Terms of Credit.

In the United States, interest rates for all mortgage types started to increase in 2021. This was due to the Federal Reserve introducing a series of hikes in the federal funds rate to contain the rising inflation. In the first quarter of 2024, the 30-year fixed rate declined slightly, to 6.75 percent. Despite the cut, this was about 3.9 percentage points higher than the same quarter in 2021. Why have U.S. home sales decreased? Cheaper mortgages normally encourage consumers to buy homes, while higher borrowing costs have the opposite effect. As interest rates increased in 2022, the number of existing homes sold plummeted. Soaring house prices over the past 10 years have further affected housing affordability. Between 2013 and 2023, the median price of an existing single-family home risen by about 88 percent. On the other hand, the median weekly earnings have risen much slower. Comparing mortgage terms and rates Between 2008 and 2023, the average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage in the United States stood between 2.28 and 6.11 percent. Over the same period, a 30-year mortgage term averaged a fixed-rate of between 3.08 and 6.81 percent. Rates on 15-year loan terms are lower to encourage a quicker repayment, which helps to improve a homeowner’s equity.

Real interest rates describe the growth in the real value of the interest on a loan or deposit, adjusted for inflation. Nominal interest rates on the other hand show us the raw interest rate, which is unadjusted for inflation. If the inflation rate in a certain country were zero percent, the real and nominal interest rates would be the same number. As inflation reduces the real value of a loan, however, a positive inflation rate will mean that the nominal interest rate is more likely to be greater than the real interest rate. We can see this in the recent inflationary episode which has taken place in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, with nominal interest rates rising over the course of 2022, but still lagging far behind the rate of inflation, meaning these rate rises register as smaller increases in the real interest rate.

Graph and download economic data for Interest Rates on Federal Land Bank Loans, Twelve Federal Land Banks for United States (M13008USM156NNBR) from Feb 1917 to Oct 1944 about federal, loans, interest rate, banks, interest, depository institutions, rate, and USA.