By Eileen Ambrose, The Baltimore Sun Baltimore Sun

7:15 p.m. EDT, August 15, 2011

Borrowing conditions today are much better than in 2008 and 2009, says Peter Kitzmiller, president of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association.

Back then, he says, "No one was lending anybody money."

But now, Kitzmiller says, "Someone with reasonable credit can get a car loan without question."

Certificates of deposit Borrowers win when rates are low; savers lose.

And savers have been losing ground. The average rate on five-year CDs continues to slide, Bankrate reports, dropping last week to 1.54 percent.

Federal Reserve policymakers pledged last week to keep interest rates low for at least another two years.

That means rates won't be rising any time soon and could even fall, McBride says. So if you want to invest in a CD, he says, there's no reason to wait.

eileen.ambrose@baltsun.com

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