Publisher's Synopsis
Before the coronavirus hit America, 2020 shaped up to be a wonderful year for most people financially. Based on a poll conducted by Gallop, fifty-nine percent of Americans said they were doing better financially than a year ago. In fact, it was the highest percentage Gallup had ever recorded. However, then the pandemic knocked at our doors, taking people's confidence down with unemployment rates and stock market crashes. As the country continues to handle the pandemic's effect, swift changes to people's regular lives have already started to impact consumer finances. The government across the globe started issuing shelter-in-place orders to mitigate the spread of the disease. However, millions of Americans have lost their jobs, had their hours pay cut or reduced. Such changes have decelerated big segments of the American economy, spurring a recession that ended the country's longest-ever period of economic expansion. Uncertainty and income loss about the economy can change consumers' spending behavior and how they engage with credit and debt. The coronavirus's present global economic impact is also making massive changes to borrowers and possibly their capacity to support debt legislations. Combined with regulatory guidance and legislative stimulus on borrower relief, disruption tests the risk management and operating models for commercial and consumer lenders. The pandemic obliges lenders to quickly stand-up new processes to deal with the raised customer communication and massive federally supported loan programs while also needing to respond immediately to emerging credit risks. Lenders taking proactive steps to data management, risk assessment, and customer outreach will be best positioned to mitigate the downstream operational challenges, leading to the present global situation. Meanwhile, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted middle- and low-income Americans and communities of color, exacerbating inequality and rising financial stress. Those people hit hardest by the current crises are now feeling the most anxiety about their finances. Approximately seventy-five percent of Americans with annual household incomes of less than $50,000 said they're at least a bit concerned about their financial case today, compared to sixty-three percent people with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more. That marks a disruption over the last several months-in April, the same survey demonstrated that financial stress was ongoing for people on opposite ends of the spectrum. Today, the problem has shifted to minority and lower-income families, whose safety nets and wages have been extended further as the coronavirus crisis continues. To make it through the crisis, seventy-four percent of Americans have attuned their personal finances, yet changes have not been equal across the board. In fact, seventy-four percent of Hispanic and eighty-six Black people surveyed had made a financial adjustment, compared to the seventy percent White respondents. As the COVID-19 continues, it may be more difficult and challenging for the many vulnerable families to cut back their expenses. That's especially true as they draw down any emergency savings. Nevertheless, there are numerous actions that people can take to enhance their financial standing, irrespective of their socioeconomic status.This e-book, CREDIT IMPACTS OF COVID-19: How Caronavirus Can Test Positive For Your Financial Health, aims to provide an overview of the pandemic's massive impacts on people's credit and finances. Throughout this book, you will learn the financial stress people are experiencing, their coping, and the importance of financial literacy. In the later part of the book, you will also find tips on how you can lessen the financial or credit burden you are facing, things to avoid, how to save, as well as insights on how credit issuers are responding to the needs of its borrowers.
