May 2016

Single-Payment Vehicle 

Title Lending
1 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

Table of contents

Table of contents.........................................................................................................1

1. Introduction...........................................................................................................2

2. Data........................................................................................................................6

3. Patterns of usage and default..............................................................................8

3.1 Vehicle title loan reborrowing ..................................................................9

3.2 Loan sequence lengths............................................................................ 10

3.3 Distribution of vehicle title loans by loan sequence length ................... 14

3.4 Changes in loan size during loan sequences .......................................... 18

3.5 Defaults and repossessions.....................................................................23
2 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

1. Introduction

This report examines consumer usage and default patterns for single-payment vehicle title 

loans.1 Vehicle title loans are a type of credit product in which the lender takes a security interest 

in the borrower’s vehicle and the loan approval and amount is primarily based on the vehicle’s 

value, rather than a credit check and traditonal underwriting.

2 While the vehicle title loans that 

are the subject of this report are structured so that a single payment of the principal and 

associated fees are due in about a month,3 some lenders also offer longer-term vehicle title loans 

that are repayable in installments.4 Hereinafter in this report, we use the term “vehicle title 

loan” to refer to just those loans with a single payment.

 

1 The CFPB previously has reported data findings on single-payment payday loans. See “CFPB Data Point: Payday 

Lending,” available at http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201403_cfpb_report_payday-lending.pdf (hereinafter 

“Payday Lending Data Point”) and “Payday Loans and Deposit Advance Products: A White Paper of Initial Data 

Findings,” available at http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201304_cfpb_payday-dap-whitepaper.pdf.

2 Our analysis of vehicle title loans in this report does not include products offered by depository institutions, such as 

the refinancing of an existing vehicle loan in which the borrower takes cash out; nor does it include loans where a 

borrower may pledge a car as security, but the loan itself is not underwritten based on the value of the vehicle. The 

Bureau is also aware of some small depository institutions which make loans that may be described as vehicle title 

loans. However, these loans are generally not their primary product and are also beyond the scope of this report.

3 Vehicle title loans typically have terms of about a month to conform to laws in many states that specify allowable 

loan terms. For example, at least 8 states—Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, South 

Dakota, and Tennessee—set a maximum loan term of about 30 days (or one month), although loans can be renewed 

beyond this initial term.

4 Single-payment vehicle title loans are available in 20 states. Thirteen states allow lenders to offer both singlepayment and installment vehicle title loans, and five states only allow these loans if they are repayable in 
3 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

Like payday loans, vehicle title loans are made by non-depository lenders. The cost is typically 

expressed in dollars per $100 borrowed, and annual percentage rates (APRs) are in the triple 

digits. However, there are several key differences between the two products. While the 

repayment of a payday loan is timed to coincide with a borrower’s payday or other income 

receipt, vehicle title loans are due in about a month regardless of the borrower’s pay frequency. 

In addition, instead of giving the lender a post-dated check or authorizing the lender to 

withdraw payments from a bank account, a vehicle title borrower provides the lender with the 

title to her car, which generally must be owned free and clear.5 The vehicle’s value is the primary 

consideration for the amount that can be borrowed.

6 Although the borrower retains use of her 

car while the loan is outstanding, a lender can repossess and sell the vehicle to satisfy the 

amount owed if loan payments are not made on time. Because account access is not required, 

vehicle title borrowers may not have an account with a bank or credit union. Finally, while 

payday loans are offered both through storefronts and online, vehicle title lending is typically 

conducted in storefronts so that the lender can assess the vehicle’s condition.

The Bureau analyzed nearly 3.5 million de-identified records of vehicle title loans originated by 

lenders in storefronts over a multi-year period. We examined loan usage patterns, with a 

particular focus on whether a loan is reborrowed. Reborrowing occurs when a loan is rolled over 

by paying a fee to extend the loan another 30 days, or when a subsequent loan is taken soon 

after repayment. We measure the number of times a loan is reborrowed by the length of a “loan 

sequence,” which consists of an initial loan made to a borrower and any subsequent loans made 

within a short period of time after a previous loan is repaid.7 We also examine whether the 

 

installments. For a breakdown of states where single-payment and installment vehicle title loans are available, see 

The Pew Charitable Trusts, “Auto Title Loans: Market Practices and Borrowers’ Experiences,” available at 

http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/assets/2015/03/autotitleloansreport.pdf?la=en, at p. 4.

5 Owning the vehicle free and clear allows the borrower to provide the lender with an unencumbered title. Some 

lenders will accept a second lien position.

6 Lenders may also collect some information about a consumer’s income, but do not generally engage in detailed 

underwriting based on the consumer’s financial situation. 

7 We report findings in this report using three different loan sequence definitions: (1) an initial loan and any loans 

made within 14 days of a previous loan being repaid; (2) an initial loan and any loans made within 30 days of a 
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amount borrowed during a loan sequence changes over time and the extent to which loans 

default and vehicles are repossessed. 

The following key findings from this analysis are included in this report:

 A small share of vehicle title loans are repaid without taking out a subsequent loan.

 Over 80 percent of vehicle title loans in our data are reborrowed on the same day a 

previous loan is repaid and nearly 90 percent are reborrowed within 60 days. The 

remaining loans are either repaid without reborrowing, or end in default.

 Only about one-in-eight loan sequences consist of a single loan that is repaid without 

reborrowing. 

 Over half of loan sequences are for more than three loans, and more than a third of 

loan sequences are for seven or more loans. One-fifth to one-quarter of loan 

sequences are at least ten loans long, depending on the loan sequence definition 

used.

 Most loans are part of long borrowing sequences. About half of loans are in sequences of 

ten loans or more. In contrast, no more than 15% of loans are in sequences of three loans 

or fewer.

 Borrowers who take out multiple loans within a sequence are more likely to borrow the 

same or smaller amounts over time rather than larger amounts. Borrowers who take on 

increasing amounts of debt over time are at greater risk of default. In general, the more 

loans in a sequence, the more likely the amount borrowed in the last loan of the sequence 

is greater than that of the first. 

 Vehicle title loan sequences have high default rates. About a third of loan sequences 

experience a default and one-in-five result in the repossession of the borrower’s vehicle. 

 

previous loan being repaid; and (3) an initial loan and any loans made within 60 days of a previous loan being 

repaid. The key findings presented in this section apply regardless of which loan sequence definition is used.
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The next section provides a description of the data used to perform these analyses, and the 

following sections outline our findings related to usage patterns and default in greater detail. 
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2. Data

The Bureau obtained de-identified data from vehicle title lenders consisting of nearly 3.5 million

loans made to over 400,000 borrowers in ten states during 2010-2013.

8 Our data contain an 

anonymous customer ID that we use to link all loans to the same consumer by a given lender.9

The single-payment vehicle title loans in our data were originated in storefronts and typically 

have 30-day terms, at which point the full amount of principal and associated fees is due. As 

shown in the table below, the median loan size was just under $700. The average loan size is 

much higher ($959), reflecting the fact that a portion of loans were for significantly greater 

amounts. The loans in our data carry APRs of around 300%.

 

8 Some of this data was obtained through the confidential investigation process; other data was obtained through a 

request consistent with authorities outlined in Section 1022(c)(4) of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and 

Consumer Protection Act of 2010. 

9 Because anonymous customer IDs in our data are lender specific, we cannot analyze potential borrowing behavior 

by individual consumers across multiple lenders. For more information about privacy protections used for this data, 

see the Bureau’s “Market Analysis of Administrative Data under Research Authorities Privacy Impact Assessment” 

and “Certain Supervision, Enforcement, and Fair Lending Data used for Market Research Privacy Impact 

Assessment.” Consistent with CFPB’s rules, the data findings presented in this report do not directly or indirectly 

identify the institutions or consumers involved. See CFPB’s final rule on the Disclosure of Records and Information,

12 C.F.R. § 1070.41(c).
7 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN CHARACTERISTICS AND TERMS

Mean 25th

percentile Median 75thpercentile

Loan amount $959 $487 $694 $1,080

APR 291% 300% 317% 317%
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3. Patterns of usage and 

default

In this section, we present patterns of loan usage and default. We report the share of vehicle title 

loans that are reborrowed, the distribution of loan sequence lengths, any changes in loan size 

over the course of a loan sequence, and the incidence of default and repossession for these loans. 

To describe usage patterns for vehicle title loans, we measure the length of “loan sequences.” A 

loan sequence consists of an initial loan and any subsequent loans that are taken within a 

specified period of time after the prior loan. As described earlier, these subsequent loans are 

considered a “reborrowing” of the initial loan.10

There are multiple ways in which a loan sequence can be defined. One approach is to only 

consider those loans made within 14 days of a previous loan being repaid to be part of the same 

loan sequence.11 While the intention of this measure is to determine whether a borrower can 

afford to repay a loan without taking another within the same pay period, the 14-day definition 

is limited in that it does not account for borrowers who are paid on a less frequent basis, such as 

 

10 Reborrowing that occurs on the same day a previous loan is repaid may either be a rollover, which occurs when a 

borrower pays a fee to extend the loan another 30 days, or a new loan that is taken on the same day a the previous 

loan is repaid. 

11 In our Payday Lending Data Point, only loans taken within 14 days of a previous loan were considered part of the 

same loan sequence in the findings reported.
9 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

those paid monthly.12 In addition, many recurring expenses, such as housing payments, are on a 

monthly cycle. To understand the extent to which borrowers can afford to repay a vehicle title 

loan without reborrowing, a 30-day definition provides a useful measure of whether borrowers 

go a full expense cycle without taking out another loan. Finally, a more expansive 60-day 

definition is likely to capture a still greater number of instances of reborrowing, as it excludes 

only subsequent loans that are taken out after two full expense cycles. In this report, we detail

findings for single-payment vehicle title loans for each of these possible loan sequence 

definitions—14, 30, and 60 days. Each approach yields very similar results.

We also report on the extent to which loans and loan sequences experience a “default,” which 

includes any charge-offs or repossessions that are identified by the lenders in our data.13 For 

sequences consisting of more than one loan, we also look at whether loan amounts increase, 

decrease, or stay the same between the first and last loan.

3.1 Vehicle title loan reborrowing

The loans in our dataset have three possible outcomes: (1) they can be repaid without a 

subsequent reborrowing, (2) they could end in default, or (3) they could be followed by a 

reborrowing either the same day or within a specified period of time after repayment. In Table 2

below, we report on the share of loans in our dataset that are reborrowed the same day,14 or 

 

12 Likewise, the 14-day definition is over-inclusive for those borrowers paid weekly.

13 Some vehicle title loan records in our data show a charge-off without a repossession, while others show a 

repossession without a charge-off. Other records have both a charge-off and a repossession. Because these measures 

signal an extreme difficulty in making payments, a loan with these outcomes reported is classified as a default. In 

the Payday Lending Data Point, we considered any loan with a missing repayment date to have defaulted—a 

different definition than what is used here. While our vehicle title loan data allow us to more precisely identify 

defaults, we have performed the analysis on our vehicle loan data using the “missing date paid” definition used with 

our payday loan data. That analysis, which is not presented here, yields very similar results.

14A same day reborrowing occurs if a previous loan is rolled over by paying a fee and extending the loan term or if a 

new loan is originated the same day a previous loan is repaid.
10 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

within 14, 30, or 60 days of repayment. Over 80% of vehicle title loans are reborrowed on the 

same day a previous loan is repaid, and 87% of loans are reborrowed within 60 days. The 

remaining loans are either repaid without reborrowing or end in default.15

TABLE 2: VEHICLE TITLE LOAN REBORROWING RATES

Share of loans 

reborrowed

Same day 83%

Within 14 days 84%

Within 30 days 85%

Within 60 days 87%

3.2 Loan sequence lengths

To understand how borrowers use vehicle title loans, we look at the length of loan sequences and 

the share of loans that are included in sequences of varying lengths. We are particularly 

interested in understanding the extent to which consumers reborrow after paying back a 

previous loan, and thus may pay more and be indebted longer than the loan term specified in 

their initial loan. As previously noted, we define a loan sequence three ways: an initial loan and 

any loans made within 14 days of a previous loan being repaid; an initial loan and any loans 

made within 30 days of a previous loan being repaid; and an initial loan and any loans made 

within 60 days of a previous loan being repaid. 

We examine usage patterns over a rolling 12-month time period. To do this, we first ensure that 

we do not include any loan sequences already in progress by excluding any loan sequences that 

appear in the first two months of our data and any loans made within 60 days following the 

 

15 Any loans outstanding at the end of the time period for which an outcome cannot be observed are assumed to have 

not been reborrowed in this analysis, potentially causing the reborrowing rate to be understated. 
11 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

conclusion of a previous sequence. We then track each loan sequence for up to 12 months. 

Because the vehicle title loans in our sample typically have terms of 30 days, a borrower taking 

one loan every month could have a sequence of 12 loans during our period of analysis, though 

more may be possible under certain circumstances even within our 12-month observation 

window.

16

There are four possible outcomes for loan sequences: (1) a single loan sequence that is repaid, 

(2) a single loan sequence that defaults, (3) a loan sequence consisting of multiple loans that is 

ultimately repaid or (4) a loan sequence consisting of multiple loans that ultimately defaults. 

Table 3 provides a breakdown of these outcomes for loan sequences in our data. Depending on 

the loan sequence definition used, between 11-13% of loan sequences are for a single loan that is 

repaid. About one-quarter of loan sequences (22-25%, depending on the loan sequence 

definition used) consist of multiple loans that ultimately default.17

TABLE 3: DISTRIBUTION OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN SEQUENCE OUTCOMES, BY LOAN SEQUENCE 

DEFINITION

14-day 

definition

30-day 

definition

60-day 

definition

Single loan sequence, repaid 13% 12% 11%

Single loan sequence, defaulted 9% 9% 9%

Multi-loan sequence, repaid 55% 56% 56%

Multi-loan sequence, defaulted 22% 23% 25%

Note: Numbers may not sum to 100% due to rounding

 

16 For example, a borrower could reborrow one or more loans before the due date. Of course, a sequence also could 

extend longer than 12 loans if examined over a longer period of time.

17 Most defaults occur at the end of a loan sequence; however, 9% of defaulted loan sequences in our data have a 

default that occurs earlier. 
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A majority of vehicle title loan sequences consist of four or more loans, as shown in Table 4. 

Depending on the loan sequence definition used, about one-fifth to one-quarter of loan 

sequences are for ten or more loans.

TABLE 4: SHARE OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN SEQUENCES OF VARYING LENGTHS, BY LOAN SEQUENCE 

DEFINITION

14-day 

definition

30-day 

definition

60-day 

definition

4+ loans 54% 56% 59%

7+ loans 34% 36% 39%

10+ loans 21% 23% 26%

12+ loans 13% 15% 16%

Figures 1-3 provide a more detailed look at the distribution of loan sequences of varying lengths 

over a rolling 12-month time period for each of our loan sequence definitions. The darker 

portion of the bar represents the share of sequences that were repaid while the lighter portion of 

the bar represents the share of sequences that experienced a default. 
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FIGURE 1: DURATION OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN SEQUENCES, 14-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION

FIGURE 2: DURATION OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN SEQUENCES, 30-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION
14 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

FIGURE 3: DURATION OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN SEQUENCES, 60-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION

3.3 Distribution of vehicle title loans by loan 

sequence length

We find that most vehicle title loans are part of long loan sequences. Figures 4-6 show the 

distribution of loans by the length of the loan sequence to which they belong. Across a rolling 12-

month time period, about half of all loans are in sequences of ten or more loans, and more than 

two-thirds of loans are in loan sequences of at least seven loans. In contrast, no more than 15% 

of all loans are in loan sequences of three or fewer loans.
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FIGURE 4: SHARE OF VEHICLE TITLE LOANS ORIGINATED IN LOAN SEQUENCES OF DIFFERENT 

LENGTHS, 14-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION
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FIGURE 5: SHARE OF VEHICLE TITLE LOANS ORIGINATED IN LOAN SEQUENCES OF DIFFERENT 

LENGTHS, 30-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION
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FIGURE 6: SHARE OF VEHICLE TITLE LOANS ORIGINATED IN LOAN SEQUENCES OF DIFFERENT 

LENGTHS, 60-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION

Overall, we find that fewer than 20% of loans are the initial loan in a sequence in our 12-month 

rolling sample.18 The remaining loans all represent reborrowings of these initial loans.

 

18 Specifically, we find that 19% of loans are an initial loan in a sequence using the 14-day loan sequence definition, 

18% of loans are an initial loan using the 30-day definition, and 17% of loans are an initial loan using the 60-day 

definition. 
18 CFPB REPORT: SINGLE-PAYMENT VEHICLE TITLE LENDING

3.4 Changes in loan size during loan 

sequences

Next, we analyze the extent to which the amount borrowed increases, decreases or stays the 

same for loan sequences that consist of multiple loans.19 Instead of repaying the full amount 

due, borrowers could potentially take out smaller subsequent loans to pay down their debt more 

gradually. Alternatively, consumers who reborrow may take out increasingly larger amounts 

over time, either to cover the fee associated with each new loan or to use the additional funds for 

other purposes. 

Table 5 compares the share of vehicle title loans in multi-loan sequences that increase, decrease, 

or remain unchanged for our three sequence definitions and notes the share of the loan 

sequences in each category that default. Borrowers with multi-loan sequences are more likely to 

borrow the same or decreased amounts over time than increased amounts. Well over a third 

(37%) of multi-loan sequences have a decrease in loan size between the first and last loans in the 

sequence. 

Multi-loan sequences that decrease in loan size are less likely to default than those that increase 

or remain unchanged. Fewer than a quarter (21-23%) of sequences that decrease in loan amount 

over time default, compared to at least one-third of sequences with loan amounts that stay the 

same or increase.

 

19 We consider any increases or decreases in principal greater than $25 to be a change in the loan size to account for 

the possibility of extraneous fees that may be included in the loan origination. Thus, any changes of $25 or less are 

not considered to be an increase or decrease in principal. In addition, the ability to borrow an increased amount may 

be constrained by State law limiting loan sizes, as well as a lender’s willingness to lend larger amounts based on the 

value of the borrower’s vehicle. 
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TABLE 5: SHARE OF VEHICLE TITLE MULTI-LOAN SEQUENCES THAT INCREASE, DECREASE, OR 

REMAIN UNCHANGED, BY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION

Total

(14-day 

def.)

 Percent

defaulted

(14-day 

def.)

Total

(30-day 

def.)

Percent 

defaulted

(30-day 

def.)

Total

(60-day 

def.)

Percent 

defaulted

(60-day 

def.)

Increased 

loan size 28% 33% 29% 34% 31% 34%

Unchanged 

loan size 36% 33% 34% 34% 32% 36%

Decreased 

loan size 37% 21% 37% 22% 37% 23%

Note: The share of multi-loan sequences that increase, are unchanged or decrease may not sum to 100% 

due to rounding.

The change in loan amount is greater for those loan sequences that increase than those that 

decrease. Loan sequences that have an increase in loan size go up by a median of over 50% 

($322-325) from the initial to last loan in a sequence. In contrast, loan sequences with a 

decrease in loan size go down by a median of just over 25% ($193-200) of the initial loan 

amount. Table 6 provides a summary of our average and median results.

TABLE 6: MEDIAN AND AVERAGE AMOUNT OF CHANGE IN LOAN AMOUNT, AMONG VEHICLE TITLE 

LOAN SEQUENCES WITH AN INCREASED OR DECREASED LOAN SIZE

Median 

change 

($)

Median 

change 

(%)

Average

change 

($)

Average 

change 

(%)

Increase between initial 

and last loan in a 

sequence

14-day definition $325 57% $534 95%

30-day definition $325 58% $541 97%

60-day definition $322 58% $541 97%

Decrease from initial and 

last loan in a sequence

14-day definition $193 26% $320 31%

30-day definition $196 26% $326 31%

60-day definition $200 27% $332 31%
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Figures 7-9 below provide a more detailed look at changes in the amount borrowed for different 

loan sequence lengths. Among loan sequences that are ultimately repaid, we find that shorter 

loan sequences (those 2-4 loans long) are more likely to have unchanged loan amounts. Longer 

repaid loan sequences have decreases in loan size for loan sequences that consist of fewer than 

12 loans. For repaid loan sequences of 12 loans or more, an increase in loan size between the 

first and last loan is more likely. Loan sequences that default are generally more likely to have 

increases than decreases in loan size, once loan sequences are at least three loans long. 
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FIGURE 7: SHARE OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN SEQUENCES BY CHANGE IN LOAN AMOUNT BETWEEN 

FIRST AND LAST LOAN, BY SEQUENCE LENGTH, 14-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION
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FIGURE 8: SHARE OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN SEQUENCES BY CHANGE IN LOAN AMOUNT BETWEEN 

FIRST AND LAST LOAN, BY SEQUENCE LENGTH, 30-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION

FIGURE 9: SHARE OF VEHICLE TITLE LOAN SEQUENCES BY CHANGE IN LOAN AMOUNT BETWEEN 

FIRST AND LAST LOAN, BY SEQUENCE LENGTH, 60-DAY LOAN SEQUENCE DEFINITION
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3.5 Defaults and repossessions

Our data includes lender information about whether a vehicle title loan is charged-off, a vehicle 

is repossessed, or both. We classify loans as defaulted if the lender notes either a charge-off or 

repossession, and also break out repossessions as a distinct sub-set of this broader category. The 

loan-sequence level default rate is over five times greater than the default rate at the individual 

loan level, reflecting the fact that most loan sequences consist of multiple loans. Overall, about a 

third of loan sequences experience a default and one-in-five loan sequences result in the 

repossession of the borrower’s vehicle. 

TABLE 7: VEHICLE TITLE LOAN DEFAULT AND REPOSSESSION RATES, AT LOAN AND SEQUENCE 

LEVEL

Percent 

defaulted

(loan level)

Percent 

repossessed

(loan level)

Percent 

defaulted

(sequence level)

Percent 

repossessed

(sequence level)

14-day loan sequence 

definition 6% 3% 32% 19%

30-day loan sequence 

definition 6% 3% 33% 20%

60-day loan sequence 

definition 6% 3% 34% 20%