Consumer Finance
Our Consumer Finance Institute researches how people earn, spend, save, and invest, as well as how credit markets and payment systems affect the economy. Our goal is to foster a healthy consumer sector, a stable financial system, and a resilient regional and national economy.
Report
Student Loans for Graduate School: Who Will Be Affected by the New Federal Lending Limits?
This report brings novel evidence on the potential effects of newly enacted reductions in federal borrowing limits for graduate education.
Working Paper
Gender Differences in Credit Card Limits: Evidence from Sole Mortgage Applicants
WP 23-30/R – Using linked mortgage application and credit bureau data, we document the existence of unconditional and conditional gender gaps in the distribution of total credit card limits for sole mortgage applicants
Working Paper
Hospital Billing Regulations and Financial Well-Being: Evidence from California’s Fair Pricing Law
WP 25-39 – We examine the financial consequences of the 2007 California Fair Pricing Law, which places a price ceiling on hospital bills for financially vulnerable individuals.
Working Paper
Financial Consequences of Student Loan Delinquency, Default, and Servicer Quality
WP 25-38 – Using anonymized consumer credit bureau data, the author examines the credit market consequences of student loan delinquency and default and the role that student loan servicers play in contributing to borrower outcomes.
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Lender File
31 Jul ’25
The HMDA Lender File includes characteristics of firms receiving mortgage applications and originating loans. The data set enables users to connect HMDA filers to their parent organizations and compare a filer’s lending over time.
Report
LIFE Survey Report – October 2025
This report is part of a quarterly series on key observations from the Labor, Income, Finances, and Expectations (LIFE) Survey. Data from the survey provide insight into consumers’ recent financial lives and their future expectations.
Event
Nov
6-7
2025
New Perspectives on Consumer Behavior in Credit and Payments Markets Conference – 2025
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia