Moodys: Competition-Driven Easing of Standards In Auto Securitizations Risks Repeat of 1990s Bust
July 13, 2012
Moodys Investors Service is warning that the booming market for subprime auto ABS is poised to potentially overheat as growing demand could push lenders to loosen underwriting standards to boost volume, repeating what occurred during the 1990s. A recent Moodys report cites emerging parallels between the U.S. subprime auto lending mar-ket today and the early 1990s when investor capital flocked into the sector by charging high loan rates while enjoying low funding costs. When the 90s lending boom went bust, net losses in subprime auto ABS jumped from under 3 percent in early 1995 to over 10 percent in 1997, according to Moodys.