Money · Facts & sources
6 sourced facts about loans and borrowing, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answer6.76% (week of Sept. 10, 2026)
A year earlier the 30-year rate averaged 6.35%; the 15-year fixed averaged 6.09%.
Source: Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey freddiemac.com
Answer12 million (in 2010)
Pew found 69% of borrowers used payday loans to cover a recurring expense such as rent, utilities, credit card bills or food.
Source: Pew Charitable Trusts, Payday Lending in America (2012) pew.org
Answer$1.65 trillion (Q2 2026)
Student loan balances dipped slightly (-0.4%) in the quarter even as auto and credit card balances rose.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Household Debt and Credit Report newyorkfed.org
Answer2.65% (January 7, 2021)
Rates bottomed out during the pandemic, then more than doubled to 7.79% by late October 2023.
Source: Freddie Mac, PMMS historical weekly data (linked from PMMS page) (2021) freddiemac.com
Answer10.6%
That was up from 10.3% the previous quarter; across all household debt, 4.7% was in some stage of delinquency.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Household Debt and Credit Report newyorkfed.org
Answerabout $520
The typical borrower had a payday loan out for five months of the year.
Source: Pew Charitable Trusts, Payday Lending in America (2012) pew.org