NEW YORK, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Data through April 2012, released today by S&P Indices and Experian for the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices, a comprehensive measure of changes in consumer credit defaults showed that, with the exception of bank cards, all loan types saw a decrease in default rates for the fourth consecutive month. In addition, the four that did decrease posted their lowest rates since at least the end of the recent economic crisis. The national composite declined to 1.86% in April from its 1.96% March rate. The first mortgage default rate decreased from March's 1.88% to April's 1.76%. The second mortgage default rate also declined from 1.03% in March to 0.93% in April. Auto loans default rate hit its lowest in its eight year history -- 1.07% in April down from March's 1.11%. Bank card was the only loan type where default rates increased marginally in April, to 4.49% from its 4.47% March level.

"April data show the continuation of the positive trend we saw in the first quarter of 2012," says David M. Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee for S&P Indices. "Not only have we continued the general downward trend in consumer default rates that began in the spring of 2009, but we appear to be reaching new lows across many of the loan types. The first four months of 2012 show broad based declines in default rates with first and second mortgage, auto and composite default rates all reaching new post-recession lows.

"The first mortgage default rate fell by 12 basis points in April over March and is the lowest rate since July 2007.  The second mortgage rate also fell during the month, by 10 basis points, and is at a seven-plus year low.  The auto loans default rate hits its lowest rate in our history of these data.  While the bank card rate rose, it was not by much and is still close to the recent low reported in February.

"Four of the five cities we cover saw their default rates drop, with all four at post-recession lows.  For the fourth consecutive month, Chicago saw a decline, moving from 2.84% back in December 2011 to 2.21% in April.  That's a 0.63 percentage point decline and a new low. New York and Miami both fell for the third consecutive month. New York dropped almost a quarter percentage point over the month, from 2.01% in March to 1.78% in April. Miami decreased by almost a half a percentage point, from March's 3.62% to April's 3.14%.  While still the highest default rate, Miami hit a post-recession low.  Dallas hits its lowest rate in its eight years of history, moving from 1.44% in March to 1.25% in April and retains the lowest rate among the five cities we follow. Los Angeles is the only city where default rates remained flat, at 1.88%."

The table below summarizes the April 2012 results for the S&P/Experian Credit Default Indices. These data are not seasonally adjusted and are not subject to revision.

The table below provides the S&P/Experian Consumer Default Composite Indices for the five MSAs:

About S&P Indices
S&P Indices, a leading brand of the McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), maintains a wide variety of investable and benchmark indices to meet an array of investor needs. Over $1.45 trillion is directly indexed to our indices, which includes the S&P 500, the world's most followed stock market index, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, the S&P Global BMI, an index with approximately 11,000 constituents, the S&P GSCI, the industry's most closely watched commodities index, and the S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index, the premier investable index for U.S. municipal bonds. For more information, please visit: www.standardandpoors.com/indices.

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About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 80 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 April 2011 was $4.2 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 41 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

For more information:
Dave Guarino
Communications
S&P Indices
dave_guarino@standardandpoors.com
212-438-1471

David Blitzer
Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee
S&P Indices
david_blitzer@standardandpoors.com
212-438-3907

Susan Henson
Experian Public Relations
susan.henson@experian.com
714-830-5129

Jointly developed by S&P Indices and Experian, the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices are published on the third Tuesday of each month at 9:00 am ET. They are constructed to accurately track the default experience of consumer balances in four key loan categories: auto, bankcard, first mortgage lien and second mortgage lien. The Indices are calculated based on data extracted from Experian's consumer credit database. This database is populated with individual consumer loan and payment data submitted by lenders to Experian every month. Experian's base of data contributors includes leading banks and mortgage companies, and covers approximately $11 trillion in outstanding loans sourced from 11,500 lenders.

For more information, please visit: www.consumercreditindices.standardandpoors.com.

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