Katie Lowery

Leander

Loans Editor at Bankrate

Featured in: Favicon

cnn.com (+1) Favicon

forbes.com Favicon

bankrate.com Favicon

caltimes.org

Articles

Why Are Auto Delinquencies on the Rise? 5 Industry Experts Weigh In

1 week ago | bankrate.com | Katie Lowery

Americans who are underwater on their car loans owe record amounts, and lenders are repossessing vehicles at a rate not seen since 2009. Those are symptoms, not the cause. And the most concerning symptom might be rising auto loan delinquency rates. They’re at a 15-year high among borrowers who are 30, 60 or more days late on their payment, according to the latest data from TransUnion and an April MorningStar analysis.
Student Loans Are Crushing Your Dreams — Kick Them to the Curb | Bankrate

2 weeks ago | bankrate.com | Bernadette Joy |Katie Lowery

I’ll never forget the weight of my $72,000 graduate student loan bill. It didn’t just affect my bank account — it shaped my daily spending choices, delayed my dreams and literally kept me up at night with anxiety, wondering if I’d ever truly feel free. At my lowest point, I was sobbing with shame and regret. Then, I made a decision that changed everything: I was going to pay off my student loans in two years. What happened next surprised even me.
Eloan Personal Loans: 2025 Alternatives

2 weeks ago | bankrate.com | Heidi Rivera |Katie Lowery

Eloan is an online division of Banco Popular de Puerto Rico. It formerly offered personal loans, but in 2022, it transitioned to an educational platform that aims to teach borrowers the ins and outs of the lending process. Although Eloan no longer offers personal loans, the following lenders provide loans that are similar to Eloan’s previous product.
Dollars and Debts With Denny: The Credit Card Merry-Go-Round

3 weeks ago | bankrate.com | Denny Ceizyk |Katie Lowery

Credit card debt is at an all-time high: $1.2 trillion, according to the New York Federal Reserve. And according to Bankrate’s 2025 Dealing with Debt survey, 64 percent of borrowers who carry a credit card balance month to month have delayed or avoided other financial decisions as a result of their credit card debt. Despite the alarm bells, Americans continue to rely on the plastic in their wallets to cover emergencies and even chase travel rewards.
Why Credit Unions Can Be a Great Option for Personal Loans

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Katie Lowery

More than 4 in 10 Americans belong to a credit union, but this type of financial institution is often an afterthought for many personal loan applicants. But failing to consider credit unions as part of your shopping-around process could mean paying more. That’s because federal credit unions (more on the distinction later) cap unsecured personal loan interest rates at 18 percent. That may seem high, but not when compared to the 35.99 percent rate ceiling of many popular banks and online lenders.
This One Money Habit Will Get You Out of Living Paycheck to Paycheck

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Bernadette Joy |Katie Lowery

Living paycheck to paycheck isn’t just exhausting and stressful — it’s expensive. With inflation sticking around and new tariffs projected to cost American households up to $3,800 in 2025 (according to Yale’s Budget Lab), it’s more important than ever to build breathing room into your money plan to avoid late payment fees or borrowing to make it to payday. There’s one simple but powerful habit I use to break this cycle: I have built and maintained a cash-flow cushion.
Learn From These Bankrate Experts’ Biggest Financial Regrets

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Katie Lowery

Sometimes you have to learn by doing, even doing the wrong thing. And that’s true, unfortunately, in personal finance. Just ask Bankrate’s experts. Even they have regrets about their financial decision-making earlier in life: how they invested, where they socked away their savings and how they borrowed and repaid debt. But take their experiences to heart. Then you, hopefully, won’t have to learn the same lessons the hard way.
Your Money Should Work For YOU and Your Community — Not Billionaires | Bankrate

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Bernadette Joy |Katie Lowery

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: Every time we buy one of the Magnificent 7 stocks, shop with the largest online retailers or pay loan interest to a big-name bank, we’re putting money in the pockets of billionaires. To put their enormous wealth into perspective, if you make $50,000 a year, it would take 20,000 years to earn $1 billion, even if you didn’t spend a single penny.
3 Automotive Financing Experts Discuss Tariffs, Rates, Other Trends

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Katie Lowery

The last time the U.S. placed a tariff on vehicles was in the 1960s, and the target was imported pickups (in response to European tariffs on our poultry). So, as Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke says, “There’s really not a great recipe for how to get around this.”This is an especially uncertain time for the American car buyer.
3 Money Moves to Combat Inflation and Stay in Control of Your Finances

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Bernadette Joy |Katie Lowery

Recent tariffs on imports, combined with ongoing inflation, will likely make the cost of everyday essentials skyrocket. According to research from The Budget Lab at Yale University, tariffs may increase expenses for the typical American household by as much as $3,800 in 2025. If you feel like your paycheck doesn’t stretch as far as it used to, there is good news: While you can’t control the broader economic environment, you are in total control of your money habits.