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.
Brief
Buying a Home Is Viewed as the Best Wealth-Building Tool but Less So Among Young Adults
To understand how Americans view the most effective ways to build wealth, we surveyed about 5,000 U.S. adults in 2026, asking how they would advise someone to use a financial windfall to build future wealth.
Report
Are Household Perceptions of Borrowing Costs Creating Spending Headwinds?
Financing conditions in credit markets play a critical role in household and business spending, thereby influencing overall economic activity.
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Lender File
27 Jul ’26
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.
Discussion Paper
Apprenticeship and Postsecondary Education Are Intertwined: New Evidence on Apprenticeship Pathways in the United States
DP 26-02 – This paper uses a large sample of online job postings and individual worker profiles to study apprenticeship in the United States.
Report
LIFE Survey Report – July 2026
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.
Discussion Paper
Which Debt Payments Do Borrowers Prioritize? Evidence from 2025–2026 Consumer Survey Data
DP 26-01 – This paper uses survey data to examine how consumers prioritize their monthly debt payments for housing (including rent), auto, credit card, and student loan debt when they are unable to pay all their monthly bills.
Event
Dec
16
2026
Financial Wellness for Older Adults: Understanding the Challenges of an Aging Population
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia