◆ ClearValue editorial analysis

The federal benchmarks these categories get scored against

Whichever category you pick above, the underlying pricing is public and updates on its own federal release schedule — it isn't set by any single lender. The Federal Reserve's G.19 Consumer Credit release put the average 24-month personal-loan finance rate at commercial banks at 11.40% as of February 2026 and the average 48-month new-car loan rate at 7.47% as of May 2026. On the business side, the SBA backed 77,600 loans under its 7(a) program (worth $37 billion) and 6,750 loans under its 504 program (worth $7.8 billion) in fiscal year 2025 — real federal-guarantee volume behind the picks the quiz surfaces.

Primary sources: Federal Reserve — G.19 Consumer Credit release · U.S. Small Business Administration — FY2025 lending results

Analysis by the ClearValue Editorial Team, applying our published scoring methodology.

This analysis combines cited public data (Federal Reserve, FDIC, FTC, CFPB, SBA/USDA, NAIC, ICI, BLS) with ClearValue's own cost math and category comparison — it is not proprietary ClearValue portfolio data. Rates, APYs, fees, and program terms move; figures carry an as-of date and you should verify current numbers at the linked primary sources and with the provider before deciding. Educational information, not financial, legal, or tax advice.