American Financial Services Association (AFSA) is a
trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...
for the U.S.
consumer credit
Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt ...
industry headquartered in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
[AFSA Web site , Guiding Principles](_blank)
Retrieved on 2008-12-10 AFSA’s 450 members include consumer and commercial finance companies, vehicle finance/leasing companies, mortgage lenders, credit card issuers, industrial banks and industry suppliers. AFSA is a founding member of
Americans Well-informed on Automobile Retailing Economics. Bill Himpler currently serves as the President & CEO.
History
The association was founded in 1916 as the American Association of Small Loan Brokers. The group formed to promote state laws that would make small loans more readily available to average Americans, who had few options at the time to receive small personal loans. The association changed names several times throughout the years before its merger in 1971 with the American Industrial Bankers Association, an organization of industrial banks, thrift and loan companies and sales finance companies. By 1983, the association’s members included diversified financial services firms and consumer credit subsidiaries of retailing firms, prompting another name change to the American Financial Services Association, which it is still known as today.
AFSA Education Foundation
The AFSA Education Foundation (AFSAEF) is a non-profit AFSA affiliate with the mission to help consumers realize the benefits of responsible money management, understand the credit process and seek help if credit problems occur. AFSAEF offers a number of free publications for consumers on topics from holiday spending to vehicle financing. MoneySKILL is a free online personal finance course for high school students on money management fundamentals.
MoneySKILL Web site
Retrieved on 2008-12-10
References
External links
American Financial Services Association Web site
AFSA Education Foundation Web site
MoneySKILL Web site
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Business and finance professional associations
Trade associations based in the United States
Financial services in the United States