Patterns in consumer credit risk indicate a prominent divide among US based consumers, as some demonstrate “heightened financial resilience,” meanwhile others are now facing growing challenges. These latest insights have come from TransUnion’s (NYSE: TRU) Q3 2025 Credit Industry Insights Report, which also reveals how these shifts “are influencing lending behaviors across key credit markets.”
The update from TransUnion noted that the recent trends in consumer credit risk distribution show a fairly steady increase in the percentage of individuals that are “classified in the lowest risk super prime credit risk tier, rising from 37.1% in Q3 2019 to 40.9% in Q3 2025.”
This increase in the share of super prime borrowers occurred as the overall credit market expanded, with “the total number of super prime borrowers now approximately 16 million higher than in 2019.”
This upward movement reflects continued financial stability “among top-tier consumers.” At the same time, the subprime segment has gradually “returned to pre-pandemic levels after notable declines in 2020 and 2021, when many consumers were able to pay down debt and reduce credit account delinquencies during a period of reduced expenses and pandemic-related relief programs.”
The movement toward super prime and subprime tiers is reflected in recent activity across the credit card and auto lending markets. Year-over-year growth in new account originations and “total balances was strongest in these two tiers, far outpacing all others.”
This divergence in credit behavior highlights “evolving consumer dynamics and underscores the importance of tailored risk strategies across the credit spectrum.”
Michele Raneri, the vice president and head of U.S. research and consulting at TransUnion said that as consumers increasingly shift toward the so-called extremes of the credit risk spectrum, it’s seemingly no surprise they’re “seeing the sharpest growth in credit card and auto activity within those tiers.”
Raneri added that to navigate these changes effectively, “lenders should leverage advanced tools—like access to trended data—to better assess evolving risk profiles.”
