Zillow: Student Loan Borrowers Had 3.5 Years Without Payments, Yet Many Still Can’t Afford to Break Into the Housing Market

July 26, 2023 – In a Fortune article about a recent report by Zillow about how many student loan borrowers are still struggling to enter today’s challenging housing market despite the temporary financial respite from loan repayment pause, Stacey MacPhetres, senior director of education finance at EdAssist by Bright Horizons shares her insights on the topic. 

“There is no real indication that DTIs improved during the pause. In fact, a new paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research indicates that many borrowers increased their personal debt on credit cards, mortgages, and auto loans during the pause,” MacPhetres says. “It is possible some of this can be attributed to the high cost of inflation. But also, when consumers have available cash flow, spending often does increase.”

Read the full article here.