20131111-NEWS--1-NAT-CCI-CL_--
11/8/2013
4:28 PM
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Vol. 34, No. 45
$2.00/NOVEMBER 11 - 17 2013
Entire contents © 2013 by Crain Communications Inc.
Autos are driving rapid loan growth As vehicles on the road reach a record age, many financial institutions are reaping the benefits of a 2013 buying jump By MICHELLE PARK LAZETTE mpark@crain.com
Consumers are driving a rate of auto loan growth that hasn’t been seen in years at several financial institutions in Northeast Ohio, and
given the average age of light vehicles on the road (a record 11.4 years), area lenders expect the ride to continue. Columbus-based Huntington Bank enjoyed a record quarter in originations in indirect auto lend-
ing, the industry’s term for when borrowers secure financing from a lender through a dealership. The bank’s originations totaled $1.2 billion in the third quarter of 2013, up 10% from the year-ago period and nearly 19% from the third quarter
of 2011. Nick Stanutz, director for auto finance for Huntington, says the record is the result of the third quarter of the year always being the peak sales period for car dealers, and increases from a year ago in the sale of new and used cars. Auto loan growth also has accelerated in 2013 at Firefighters Community Credit Union in Cleveland.
Its auto loan balance in this year’s third quarter was 13.6% higher than the year-ago quarter. That’s a greatly improved performance over the 3.3% increase Firefighters recorded in the third quarter of 2012 over the like quarter in 2011, and the 7.5% decrease it saw in the third quarter of 2011 versus the third quarter of 2010. See GROWTH Page 7
Colleges get bump from big ambitions Entrepreneurship programs at area universities are gaining popularity By CHUCK SODER csoder@crain.com
A measly eight students took the first entrepreneurship course Bob Chalfant taught at the University of Akron in the spring of 2009, shortly after a popular professor stopped teaching the subject.
INSIDE: A look at the undergraduate enrollment numbers for entrepreneurship classes at eight Northeast Ohio universities. Page 45 JANET CENTURY
After several years of declining ridership, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s numbers are on the rise. By JAY MILLER jmiller@crain.com
RTA RIDING WAVE J OF MOMENTUM
0
NEWSPAPER
74470 83781
7
45
Increase in ridership is above national norm, sparking more ambitious plans for region
oe Calabrese’s eyes sparkle when he relates a recent conversation he had with the head of a large local employer. The company wanted to move some downtown employees to a suburban office building, but the boss was getting resistance, especially from younger employees. “They told him, ‘We don’t want to go; there’s no good public transit,’ ” said Mr. Calabrese, general manager of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.
To say the program has bounced back would be an understatement: Since the start of 2013, Mr. Chalfant has taught a total of 265 students about the ins and outs of starting a business. See AMBITIONS Page 45
INSIDE Obamacare’s impact Some Northeast Ohio free clinics are reinventing themselves as more people become insured. PAGE 3
See RTA Page 44
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