INSURANCE
LendingTree | After a fatal car crash, every minute matters. Across the U.S., the average EMS response time after a fatal crash is 10.0 minutes, according to LendingTree research — but that figure varies widely depending on where and when the crash happens.
PERSONAL LOANS/DEBT
LendingTree | The cost of raising a child over 18 years is up again, now topping $300,000 for the first time since we began tracking it in 2023. However, there’s some good news: Costs during the first five years have decreased, powered primarily by a small drop in day care costs.
CREDIT CARDS
LendingTree | After several years of economic volatility — now compounded by tariffs that are putting additional pressure on prices — the weight of consumer credit card debt has become increasingly burdensome.
BUSINESS
LendingTree | More than 1 in 5 U.S. businesses fail in their first year, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. To put that into perspective, there are 36.2 million small businesses nationwide, which means hundreds of thousands of new ones are closing yearly.
MORTGAGE
LendingTree | A home shopper may crunch the numbers to make sure the mortgage fits their budget, only to encounter the fine print: an additional $400 or even $500 a month in homeowners association (HOA) fees. This added cost can make a difference when it comes to overall home affordability, and it’s not especially uncommon.
MORTGAGE
LendingTree | Americans collectively owe $13.17 trillion in mortgage debt, accounting for 70.1% of total U.S. consumer debt. Just 0.92% of mortgage debt is seriously delinquent, indicating that most borrowers are keeping up with their payments. This page examines total mortgage debt, the number and size of mortgages, and key loan performance metrics such as delinquency and foreclosure rates.
AUTO
LendingTree | The average new car payment reached a record $767 a month in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 2.8% from Q4 2024. Average used and leased car payments increased by a similar 1.7% and 1.5% over the same period. LendingTree looked at payments, originations, term lengths, delinquencies and more to get a full picture of U.S. auto loan debt and trends. Here’s our 2026 roundup of auto loan statistics.
CREDIT CARDS
LendingTree | Almost 6 in 10 Gen Z credit cardholders say they typically make only the minimum payment on at least one of their cards each month. LendingTree surveyed more than 1,500 American cardholders about bad habits, misconceptions and mistakes they make with their cards. While paying just the minimum is one of the worst habits you can get into with your credit card, it’s hardly the only common misstep cardholders make. A troubling number of cardholders believe costly credit myths, don’t know basic information about key details of their cards and even forgo emergency savings because they see their credit card as a safety net.
PERSONAL LOANS/DEBT
LendingTree | Half of Americans are struggling to afford food, and food anxiety is a reality for the majority of people, according to LendingTree research. Six in 10 people have worried about paying for groceries in the past month. Younger generations, parents of young kids and people in low-income households experience this anxiety at disproportionately high rates.
PERSONAL LOANS/DEBT
LendingTree | More than 4 in 10 (41%) users of buy now, pay later (BNPL) loans say they paid late on one of them in the past year, up from 34% just a year ago, according to a LendingTree survey. That’s just one of several troubling findings from our survey, which asked people about their behaviors and perspectives regarding these popular loans. Along with increased late payments, we found that many borrowers who take out these loans use them to buy groceries or takeout and believe that successfully managing one will boost their credit score. (Spoiler: It doesn’t … at least not yet.) There’s some good news, however. A separate survey fielded in March 2026 found that BNPL lenders are highly likely to waive a late fee on a BNPL loan if you’re willing to ask. Here’s what else we found.
