Auto Credit 4.7% YoY High: Why This Is A Late-Cycle Warning?
Executive Context And Why This Moment Matters Credit availability in the U.S. auto finance market reached its highest level in more than three years in January, with the Dealertrack Credit Availability Index rising to 100—up 4.7% year over year and 0.4% month over month. On the surface, this looks like a clean recovery signal. In reality, it is a late-cycle indicator that masks a widening trust deficit between consumers, dealers, and lenders. Access to credit is expanding even as confidence in the financing process deteriorates, particularly at the point where initial quotes collide with final approvals. This contradiction—more credit, less trust—is the real strategic risk leaders should be pricing in now. L-Impact Solutions operates precisely at this intersection of market signals and structural risk, helping institutions interpret headline metrics through a trust-centric, system-level lens rather than relying on surface-level optimism. Framing The January Surge As A Late-Cycle S...
