CINCINNATI -

Swapalease.com reported declines in approvals for vehicle-lease credit applicants during October on both a month-over-month and year-over-year basis.

But site officials classified the movements in both instances as “modest.”

The site indicated its October approval rate registered in at 68.8%. That’s down from the September rate of 72.9%, as well as the October 2018 reading of 70.9%.

However, analysts pointed out that approval rates for both October 2018 and October of this year marked an improvement, considering only 55.6% of applicants were approved during the 10th month of 2017.

Swapalease.com mentioned the average credit approval rate for the past three months is 70.1%.

“Strengthening credit profiles and positive consumer credit behavior could be the reason for a higher than usual credit approval average,” the site said.

Swapalease.com predicts continued stability entering 2020 and remains optimistic that growth will continue throughout the first quarter of the year.

“We anticipate a continued increase in lease applicants entering 2020. Shoppers have remained confident in their ability to spend, and dealers are ready to deliver unprecedented lease deals as we close out the year,” said Scot Hall, executive vice president of Swapalease.com.

“As we near the end of 2019, attractive lease deals may entice shoppers to upgrade their vehicles. With more people seeking alternatives to new lease terms offered by dealers, we will continue to see increased traffic on Swapalease.com for people seeking shorter or custom terms,” Hall went on to say.