美国汽车贷款还款逾期90天人数创历史新高

尽管失业率低，经济蓬勃发展，但很多美国人却在账单支付方面遇到了问题。

纽约联邦储备银行的调查显示，美国汽车贷款还款逾期90天或以上的人群数量达到了创纪录的700万。这个数字较2010年底高出了100万。美联储称，2010年，失业率达到了10%，而“还款拖欠率创历史新高。”

在那段时间，5.3%的汽车贷款还款拖欠期限达到了3个月。如今，这一比例略低于4.5%，部分原因在于越来越多的人通过借贷来购买汽车。但《华盛顿邮报》的报道显示，令越来越多的经济学家感到担忧的是，这一比例一直在随着或无视失业率的下降而增长。

拖欠汽车贷款的美国人不在少数，因为汽车贷款可能是他们在人生中所支付的第一批账单。汽车通常对于上班通勤来说是不可或缺的，但还款拖欠时间过长可能会导致自己的爱车被没收。

不管怎么样，其前景并非是完全黯淡无光。尽管低信用分值人群的拖欠期限有所增加，但那些高信用分值人群出现逾期还款的可能性在降低，因此也会抵消对次贷领域的负面影响。（财富中文网）

译者：冯丰

审校：夏林

Unemployment is low and the economy is booming, but many Americans are struggling to pay their bills.

A record 7 million Americans are 90 or more days behind on their auto loan payments, according to a study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That number is a million higher than the total at the end of 2010, a time when unemployment rates hit 10% and “delinquency rates were at their worst” notes the Fed.

At that time, 5.3% of auto loan borrowers were three months late on their payments. Now, the share is a slightly lower 4.5%, due in part to a growing number of people taking out loans to purchase a car. But The Washington Post reports that there is increasing concern among economists that this rate has continued to rise in spite of or concurrent with dropping unemployment levels.

That Americans are late on auto loan payments is significant, as this is one of the first bills individuals are likely to pay. Cars are often necessary for transportation to and from work, and falling too far behind on payments can lead to repossession of one’s car.

Nevertheless, the picture isn’t entirely bleak. While delinquency levels increased for those with lower credit scores, individuals with the highest scores are less likely to miss payments, thereby offsetting the effects on the subprime sector.