BenchMark Consulting International Finalizes Results for CBA’s 19th Annual Home Equity Lending Study

November 17, 2005

ATLANTA – BenchMark Consulting International, a prominent management consulting firm in the financial services industry, announced that it has finalized the results of the 2005 Consumer Bankers Association’s (CBA) Home Equity Lending Study. The study includes detailed findings in Home Equity Portfolio & Booking Activity, Product Characteristics, Pricing, Marketing Activities, Sourcing Channels, Underwriting Attributes, Portfolio Management Attributes and Delinquencies/Charge Offs.

Conducted by the Consumer Bankers Association in conjunction with BenchMark Consulting International, the 2005 report included 39 participating home equity lenders, an increase of more than 50 percent from last year’s study. Surveys were submitted in the third quarter of 2005 and data collection focused on the twelve months ending 6/30/05.

Findings show that, while home equity growth is still on the rise, respondents reported lower average growth percentages than in previous years. According to Brian King, BenchMark’s Consumer Lending and Mortgage Banking Practice Manager, ”While not as brisk as in the previous two years, overall home equity portfolio growth continues on a double-digit pace according to the data, and home equity line growth is 25%.”

Findings indicate that institutions’ appetites for risk continue to expand. Eighty-eight percent of this year’s study population originated C or D-rated credits (defined as having a FICO score less than 630). Among respondents who originated sub-prime credits, these credits represented an average of 6% of new line accounts and 11% of new loan accounts.

Supporting the branch-building trend of recent years, the study indicated that retail branches continued to be the primary channel of home equity lines and loans. The study also provides detail on other channels, direct mail and internet marketing as well as cross-sell activities.

For more information please go to www.benchmarkinternational.com.

Source: BenchMark


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