US auto loans reach record high of $211B in Q2, says New York Fed

Americans took out $211 billion in auto loans during the second quarter of 2026, a nominal record according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest Household Debt and Credit Report. That’s up from $188 billion in Q2 2025 and $166 billion in Q1 2025. The New York Fed published the data on August 11, offering a fresh snapshot of how US households are managing their balance sheets. What the numbers actually show Total household debt stood at $18.8 trillion at the end of Q2 2026. The New York Fed noted a slight decrease in the total, which it attributed to methodological changes in how mortgage data gets reported rather than any meaningful deleveraging by consumers. The aggregate delinquency rate, the share of outstanding debt balances where borrowers are behind on payments, ticked down from 4.8% to 4.7%. Credit card delinquency rates have held steady at around 7% of outstanding balances transitioning into delinquency each quarter, a pattern that’s persisted since 2024. Home equity balances rose by $19 billion during the quarter, extending a four-year streak. The inflation asterisk Before anyone gets too excited, or too alarmed, about that $211 billion figure, it’s worth notin...