Auto Lending Just Hit a Wall. Now What?

Auto affordability isn't a cycle this time. It's a new baseline.

In this episode, guest host Deepak Bhandari from Upstart sits down with Eric Earvin from First Commonwealth Bank and Michael Gilbert from Associated Bank, co-chairs of the CBA Auto Finance Committee, to talk about why it's time to stop waiting for costs to come back down and start rethinking how we lend.

Insurance up 14% year over year. Debt to income ratios squeezed from every direction. Consumers still buying, but shifting downstream.

And at some point the phone rings and they say here's the car.

Recorded at CBA Live 2026, this episode covers:

• Why auto affordability is a permanent headwind
• How debt to income ratios are being squeezed from every direction 
• The compounding cost problem, insurance, gas, maintenance 
• Where stress is showing up in early payment defaults and fraud
• The AI arms race between lenders and fraudsters 
• Why auto lenders are self-admitted copycats and what that means for innovation
• Alternative financing threats and reaching the next generation
• Subprime repossessions hitting all time highs again If you run an auto lending portfolio or sit on a credit committee, this conversation is the reality check heading into the back half of 2026.

Leaders in Lending is powered by Upstart and features conversations with banking and credit union leaders navigating the future of consumer lending.