WASHINGTON — After a downtick in February, the average interest rate of a new-vehicle loan at auto finance companies crept upward in April.

According to data released by the Federal Reserve, the median interest rate at auto finance companies came in at 4.54 percent in April, up from 4.19 percent in March, but down from 5.37 percent in February.

The average maturity length also grew, up to 63.1 months from 62.3 in March. However, this figure still remains down slightly from 63.2 months reported in February.

As for loan-to-value, the Federal Reserve said this came in at 94 in April, flat compared with March, but down from 95 in February.

The median amount financed was down, reaching $27,397 in April, compared with $28,173 in March and $28,118 in February.

Similar to last month, the average interest rate for a 48-month new-car loan at commercial banks was not available for April. However, this figure came in at 7.27 percent for the first quarter.

Overall, officials reported, "Consumer credit rose 4.25 percent at an annual rate in April. Revolving credit rose 0.5 percent at an annual rate, and non-revolving credit rose 6.5 percent at an annual rate."