This Survey covers two groups of companies: diversified financial services companies and consumer finance companies. The diversified financial services segment includes a range of consumer- and commercially-oriented companies offering a wide variety of products and services, including various lending products (such as home equity loans and credit cards), insurance, and securities and investment products. Some of these firms were created during the wave of consolidation that has taken place in the financial industry over the past decade. The consumer finance segment includes companies that are predominantly engaged in the business of lending money to individual consumers "Consumer Finance" and "Other Diversified Financial Services" are GICS sub-industries in the "Financials" sector of the S&P 1500. Industry Surveys covers more than 50 of the largest and most significant US industries. The information provided for each follows the same general format: the industry's recent performance, an analysis of trends that will influence it in the future, and a broad and fundamental overview of its structure. Both text and data are provided, as are references to additional sources of industry information, including Web sites.
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