Higher used-car prices and tighter credit cutting losses on auto loan securities

Higher used-car prices cut loan-security losses

NEW YORK — Higher prices for used vehicles and improved buyer credit are helping mitigate losses on prime auto loan asset-backed securities, Fitch Ratings said Thursday.

Fitch said losses on securities backed by the highest-rated loans ticked upward in January because of seasonal weakness. But losses were still more than 20 percent lower on an annual basis for the third straight month, Fitch said. That trend is expected to continue, although Fitch remains wary of the poor state of the job market.

“Tax refunds and credits will support performance for the remainder of this quarter,” Fitch Ratings analyst Benjamin Tano said in a statement.

Fitch said stronger used-vehicle prices are resulting in higher recovery rates for repossessed vehicles. Used-car prices have been rising as new car sales have fallen and financially stressed buyers are moving into the used-car market.

Fitch’s prime 60-day delinquency index rose 8.5 percent over December. Net losses for January on an annualized basis were 1.61 percent. Last year they hit a record high of 2.23 percent.