Consumer Finance

The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, maintaining the federal funds rate in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, as policymakers signaled continued caution in the face of persistent inflation and geopolitical uncertainty.  

Vega Economics assisted a police association concerning contractually defined cost-of-living adjustments. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for December 2025 this week, revealing an economy caught in a holding pattern. Headline inflation held steady at an annual rate of 2.7%, mirroring the November figure. 

The Court concluded that plaintiffs failed to carry their heavy burden of proving a regulatory taking. Judgment was entered in favor of the defendants, the plaintiffs’ requests for declaratory and injunctive relief were denied, and the preliminary injunction previously in place was vacated.

Professor James Wilcox recently testified at trial in a high-profile case challenging New York’s statutory interest rate on consumer debt judgments.

A Manhattan federal judge denied class certification for three credit unions challenging a state law that lowers the default interest rate on consumer debt judgments. Judge Vyskocil cited Vega's expert, Prof. Jim Wilcox, in her decision.

Our featured engagement highlights the work of experts Charles Grice and Lisa Murphy, who were retained by defense counsel in a case between two mortgage lenders. The plaintiff lender alleged that defendant targeted and unlawfully poached loan officers and staff from its operations, using trade secrets and proprietary customer information brought by the loan officers to capture and divert customer relationships.

Office vacancy rates continue to hit record levels, approaching an average of 20 percent nationwide.

Vega Economics was retained by the Office of the New York State Attorney General to support Dr. James Wilcox from UC Berkeley Hass Business School in a high-profile case related to consumer debt judgment in the state of New York.

Meet our featured expert Jim Wilcox! Prof. Wilcox is and expert in Federal Reserve policies and interest rates, banks’ lending, consumer attitudes and spending, credit unions, Islamic banking, and nonfinancial corporations’ internal capital markets.

Car insurance prices have increased 22 percent on a year-over-year basis. Check out this article that discusses how car insurance is outpacing headline inflation.

Check out our latest article that discusses the mechanics of stock loans, the growth of the securities lending market, and regulatory changes aimed at increasing transparency in lending transactions.

Great news for our environment and economy! Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) projects are gaining momentum in numerous states as legislators incentivize clean energy and sustainability investments.

 With rising interest rates and falling prices, more and more borrowers find themselves stuck in “upside-down” car loans. This article provides a quick glance at the current state of auto loans. 

We had the opportunity to support several outstanding experts in 2022 from a variety of disciplines and welcomed several new experts to our network. You’ll learn more about our work last year in this brochure, our 2022 Year in Review.

Outstanding student loan balance is approaching $1.8 trillion—or $37,787 per recipient. Check out Vega's recent article for some interesting facts on current student loan debt!

Dr. Ehud Ronn recent update addresses the issue of whether there is a perception of “light at the end of the
tunnel” when it comes to the rate of inflation in the U.S. 

Vega is delighted to sit down with expert Dan Castro, Chairman Investment Committee at Samas Asset Management, to discuss the C-PACE landscape, new legislation, litigation risks, and more. 

The CFPB has recently published the proposals it is considering implementing as part of its regulatory responsibility to create regulations requiring AVM quality control standards. This summary addresses some of the issues presented in the CFPB outline and Vega's expertise in this space.

As we look back on our practice throughout 2021, we are proud of the variety of issues our work has covered. We had the opportunity to support several outstanding experts from a variety of disciplines and welcomed several new experts to our network. You’ll learn more about our work last year in this brochure, our 2021 Year in Review.

Keeping abreast of regulatory compliance issues is a crucial component of doing business in the mortgage origination industry. This article offers a background and retrospective on several of the regulations and relevant enforcement entities involved in legal and compliance issues pertaining to residential mortgages.

In a recent American Arbitration Association proceeding, Dr. Andrew Zuppann and Vega Economics were retained by claimant's counsel to provide an expert analysis regarding the respondents' regulatory violations in the origination of mortgage loans.

Part 3 of Vega's 3-part series on student loans discusses the unique features of SLABS that create both opportunities and risks for investors, as well as the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on forbearances and cash flows.

Part 2 of Vega's 3-part series on student loans presents a survey of methods for modelling student loan default. 

Part 1 of Vega's 3-part series on student loans discusses current trends in private student loans, including key statistics on originators, performance, and SLABs.

Two Vega experts recently published a study in the Review of Economic Studies providing insight into quantitative easing and household spending during the most recent recession, which may be relevant to the current economic climate following the COVID-19 shutdowns.