SpringFour, the only social impact fintech that helps financial institutions give customers the support they need to regain financial control, today published the results of its COVID-19 financial health survey, which shares how the pandemic has impacted low- and moderate-income households. 

The insights reveal that the pandemic has impacted families’ ability to cover their monthly expenses and pay for basic resources, including food, prescriptions, and utilities. Households state that they need $4,000 in an emergency fund. Many families are unaware of financial resources that exist to help, but trust their banks to provide financial guidance and support. SpringFour commissioned Competiscan for this survey, which included a nationally representative sample of 105 individuals with household incomes of under $50,000 per year.

A complimentary copy of the report can be accessed here.

“The pandemic has made financial challenges even more acute for low- and moderate-income families. The government’s stimulus payments have not alleviated their financial pressures and many are unaware that local resources exist to help them cover basic needs,” said Rochelle Gorey, SpringFour Co-Founder and CEO. “The good news is that families feel confident in their banks’ ability to help, giving banks the opportunity to step up and meet their clientele’s challenges.”

Key takeaways include:

Unemployment has greatly impacted low- and moderate-income families: 26% have been furloughed, let go, or had their work hours reduced.

Households are facing challenges in making regular payments: 30% of families are unable to cover their monthly expenses completely and on time.

Families expressed concern about covering the following expenses:

70% are not confident that they can set aside money for emergencies.

55% are concerned about paying for basic necessities, like food, utilities, and health care.

40% are concerned about paying their credit card bills on time.

Households expressed a need for financial assistance to cover basic resources, including food (47%), heating/utility costs (47%), prescription savings (40%), health care savings (40%), and home repair (39%). 

Families do not know where to turn for financial assistance. 40% are unaware of local resources to reduce household expenses.

Households want to receive financial guidance and support from their financial institutions: 83% expressed interest in receiving support from their banks.

Families lack the necessary emergency funds. 47.6% stated that they need more than $4,000 in an emergency fund.

Families expect the pandemic to have long-term implications. 41% stated that once the country opens up, their financial situation will not change.  

“Research in the financial health field has long shown that families are one step away from a financial emergency and that they do not have sufficient funds to cover an unexpected expense. The survey results show that a crisis like COVID-19 uncovers the need for long-term, ongoing solutions,” said Katy Jacob, SpringFour Vice President of Research & Impact. “Families know they don’t have enough money saved and they need financial support and specific, targeted resources that help reduce household expenses and create opportunities to save for emergencies.” 

Learn More

For more information, download a copy of the report here.

Katy Jacob

VP of Research & Impact, SpringFour

Back to Basics: Providing Resources to Struggling Families

COVID-19 has led to unprecedented levels of unemployment and upsurges in payment delinquencies for households all over the country. May marked the largest one month increase in mortgage delinquencies in history. A third (33%) of Americans have lost income because of COVID-19. An estimated 5.4 million Americans have lost health insurance as a result of job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. These trends reveal that the safety net in the US is precarious, and families are often one small shock away from financial insecurity or peril. 

SpringFour is in a unique position to help address these issues, as its mission and business model has always been to partner with financial institutions and others to provide specific, local resources to families who need financial assistance. To this end, in late July, SpringFour issued a report of findings related to trends in resource need following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a matter of weeks following the onset of the pandemic, SpringFour added 3,000+ COVID- specific resources in: Food Assistance; Financial Assistance; COVID-related health resources. SpringFour finds that families are looking for referrals to cover basic needs in light of the pandemic. In Q2 2020, these three new categories accounted for nearly half of all referrals (44%). Employment Services was the third-highest category of need in May 2020. Families are also struggling to pay for basic services such as heating and utility bills – the fourth-highest referral category.

And demand for these resources is exploding. SpringFour has seen a fourfold increase in referrals in Q2 this year versus Q2 of 2019. SpringFour provided nearly 1 million referrals to families in need in Q2 2020 alone, compared to 1.1 million referrals in the year 2019 as a whole. In the first half of 2020, SpringFour has provided over 1.6 million referrals.

Impact of COVID-19 on Referral Demand by Quarter

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts are likely to reverberate throughout the economy and our culture for years to come. But just because the world has changed doesn’t mean that we can’t work together to make people’s lives better. In fact, innovative partnerships are our best bet for lifting up families and businesses during COVID-19 and beyond.

“If something good is to come from this, it’s that companies now understand that most people are just a day away from a financial emergency, and that providing help and assistance is not only the right thing to do — it’s good for business.”

 

– CEO & Co-Founder of SpringFour, Rochelle Nawrocki Gorey

For more information on this report of SpringFour’s research and insights, contact Katy Jacob at katy@springfour.com.

Read the full COVID-19 Impact Report here.

VP of Research & Impact, SpringFour