Consumer credit, short- and intermediate-term loans used to finance the purchase of commodities or services for personal consumption or to refinance debts incurred for such purposes. The loans may be supplied by lenders in the form of cash loans or by sellers in the form of sales credit.
Consumer credit in industrialized countries has grown rapidly as more and more people earn regular income in the form of fixed wages and salaries and as mass markets for durable consumer goods have become established.
Consumer loans fall into two broad categories: installment loans, repaid in two or more payments; and noninstallment loans, repaid in a lump sum. Installment loans include (1) automobile loans, (2) loans for other consumer goods, (3) home repair and modernization loans, (4) personal loans, and (5) credit card purchases. The most common noninstallment loans are single-payment loans by financial institutions, retail-store charge accounts, and service credit extended by doctors, hospitals, and utility companies.
Finance charges on consumer loans generally run higher than the interest costs of business loans, although the way costs are quoted may disguise the actual charges. In the United States the Truth in Lending Act (part of the Consumer Credit Protection Act of 1968) requires lenders to state finance charges in ways that allow borrowers to compare the terms being offered by the lending companies.
The Consumer Credit Protection Act in the United States and the Consumer Credit Act (1974) and Consumer Protection Act (1987) in Great Britain are examples of legislation enacted to protect borrowers. Credit bureaus such as Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion provide information about an individual’s creditworthiness to potential lenders. (Consumers may request a copy of their credit report.) Many organizations help consumers manage their credit.