First things first: The below-prime automobile finance sector is not a source of systemic risk to the U.S. banking system or the global economy. This segment of the consumer lending market simply isn’t big enough to create the next 2008 style financial crisis. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s February 2016 Report on Household Debt and Credit, auto loans accounted for just 9% of total household debt outstanding. Auto loans to borrowers with below prime credit scores account for roughly one-third of the market, so below-prime auto loans only comprise 3% of household debt nationwide. In contrast, home mortgages constitute 68% of total household debt. Commentators that equate the current situation to the mortgage crisis are not thinking clearly.