Newsroom

LendingTree | Towns have a reputation for being quieter, slower and, perhaps most importantly, more affordable than cities. But when it comes to buying a home, that perception doesn’t always hold true. A LendingTree analysis found that some U.S. towns have some of the country’s highest housing values. In Nantucket, Mass., for example, the median home value is nearly $1.6 million — higher than in San Jose, Calif., the nation’s most expensive major metro.

read more

LendingTree | Where do America’s most financially responsible people live? Many are in the Midwest. LendingTree research ranked the nation’s largest 100 metros based on a combination of housing cost, debt burden and credit usage indicators. The results show that half of the top 10 metros are in the Midwest. Meanwhile, the bottom of the rankings is dominated by two states: Texas and California. Together, they account for seven of the bottom 10 metros.

read more

LendingTree | While businesses remain more likely to expect price hikes than cuts in the coming months, that expectation has cooled somewhat since December — even as the cost pressures businesses face appear to be intensifying. Nearly a third of businesses, or 32.3%, expect to raise prices before year’s end. During that same time frame, 54.9% of businesses expect the prices they pay for goods and services to increase.

read more

LendingTree | Buying a home (especially for the first time) has always felt high-stakes, but a LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers suggests buyers may feel additional pressure as home surveillance becomes more common. A significant 56% of recent home sellers say recording devices were active during their most recent home sale or listing, and buyers are noticing. However, that awareness appears to influence buyer behavior, potentially adding another layer of stress to an already high-pressure process.

read more

LendingTree | Business bankruptcy filings are increasing across the U.S. In the 12 months ended March 31, 2026, filings rose to 25,796, an 11.4% increase from a year earlier. Here’s a closer look at where business bankruptcy filings are most common, how they’re structured and what the data shows.

read more

LendingTree | A LendingTree analysis finds that families’ back-to-school spending has changed little over the past six years, despite broad price increases across the economy. Families with children in elementary through high school spent $858 in 2025 on electronics, clothing/accessories, shoes and school supplies, up 0.6% from an estimated $853 in 2019.

read more

LendingTree | Gen Z mortgage shoppers in the nation’s 50 largest metros plan to put down far less than any other generation, according to an analysis of more than 130,000 mortgage purchase inquiries submitted through the LendingTree platform. However, not all younger shoppers plan to put down less. Millennials join baby boomers, the oldest generation in our analysis, in planning to make the largest down payments of any age group across the nation’s largest metros. Planned down payments also vary widely by metro, with Gen Z shoppers in two locations planning to make six-figure down payments.

read more

LendingTree | Shoplifting appears to be becoming more common as many American consumers continue to face financial pressure. According to a LendingTree survey, 3 in 10 Americans say they’ve shoplifted, up from 23% in 2024. Most respondents who say they shoplifted in the past year cite inflation and broader economic conditions as contributing factors. The survey also examines which consumers are most likely to shoplift, what items they report stealing and the types of stores they most often target.

read more

LendingTree | A LendingTree analysis found that home insurance makes up 8.5% of the typical monthly housing costs for homeowners with a mortgage nationwide. In some states, however, that share is much higher. In Nebraska, for instance, nearly 1 in every 5 dollars that homeowners spend on monthly housing costs goes toward insurance, highlighting how weather risks and rising claims costs continue to reshape housing affordability across the country.

read more

LendingTree | A four-figure monthly car payment may sound like a nightmare to some borrowers, but it’s an increasingly common reality for many across the U.S. According to LendingTree research, nearly 1 in 10 (9.6%) Americans with active auto loans in the fourth quarter of 2025 had at least one monthly payment of $1,000 or more — equivalent to 14.0% of the median household income of $7,147 a month.

read more