Personal Loan Rates & Trends, Week of March 20: Rates Edge Down

After jumping almost a quarter of a point higher last week to approach the 20% mark, the average rate on personal loans erased most of that this week, dropping 19 basis points to 19.77%. The minimum and maximum rates from our 18 surveyed lenders remained at 5.99% APR and 36.00% APR, respectively.

The average loan amount decreased this week by $302, down to $21,183, while the average loan term remained at 50 months.

Very little change was seen in this week's averages for borrowers in the Excellent and Good credit tiers, but among the two lower tiers, large increases were seen in the averages. However, this is likely due to the absence of loans closed this week in those tiers by a few lenders, reducing the sample size and making the average less indicative of an overarching trend.

Personal loan rates rose over the course of 2022 due to major interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. To fight the highest inflation rates seen in 40 years, the Fed not only raised the federal funds rate at each of its eight last rate decision meetings, but often hiked the rates by historically large increments. Indeed, six of the last eight increases were by 0.50% or 0.75%.

The Federal Reserve and Personal Loan Rates

Generally speaking, moves in the federal funds rate translate into movement in personal loan interest rates, in addition to credit card rates. But the Fed's decisions are not the only rate-setting factor for personal loans. Also important is competition, and in 2022, the demand for personal loans increased substantially.

Though decades-high inflation has caused the Federal Reserve to raise its key interest rate an eye-popping 4.5% since last March, average rates on personal loans haven't risen that dramatically. That's because high borrower demand required lenders to aggressively compete for closed loans, and one of the primary ways to best the competition is to offer lower rates. Though personal loan rates did increase in 2022, the fierce competition in this space prevented them from rising as much as the federal funds rate.

As for 2023, inflation has come down a bit but still remains an issue, leading the Fed to expect to raise rates further this year. However, the high-profile bank failures of the last week and a half have clouded not only the Fed's upcoming decision but the rate path in general for the coming months, making any Fed rate predictions for 2023 much more uncertain. As is always the case, Fed rate decisions are made one at a time based on the freshest economic data and news, meaning nothing can ever be reliably predicted.

The Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee meets every six to eight weeks, with its next meeting concluding March 22.

What Is the Predicted Trend for Personal Loan Rates?

If the Fed raises the federal funds rate higher in 2023, personal loan rates could also increase. However, with competition for personal loans still stiff, upward movement in loan rates could be dampened even in light of an increased federal funds rate, perhaps leaving averages not far from current levels.

Because most personal loans are fixed-rate products, all that matters for new loans is the rate you lock in at the outset of the loan (if you already hold a fixed-rate loan, rate movements will not affect your payments). If you know you will certainly need to take out a personal loan in the coming months, it's likely (though not guaranteed) that today's rates will be better than what you can get in the next few months, if the Fed does indeed hike rates further.

It's also always a wise move to shop around for the best rates. The difference of a percentage point or two can easily add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in interest costs by the end of the loan, so searching out your best option is time well invested.

Lastly, don't forget to consider how you might be able to reduce your spending to avoid taking out a personal loan in the first place, or how you could begin building an emergency fund so that future unexpected expenses don't sink your finances and cause you to require additional personal loans.

Rate Collection Methodology Disclosure

Investopedia surveys and collects average advertised personal loan rates, average length of loan and average loan amounts from 19 of the nation's largest personal lenders each week, calculating and displaying the midpoint of advertised ranges. Average loan rates, terms, and amounts are also collected and aggregated by credit quality range (for excellent, good, fair, and bad credit) across 29 lenders through a partnership with Even Financial. Aggregated averages by credit quality are based on actual booked loans.