This TowerGroup Research Note analyzes the consumer credit life cycle and suggests that lenders must make a variety of decisions at each stage to ensure continued growth. Lenders must decide the most appropriate marketing message to send to each prospect, what product and price to offer, whether to automate decisioning for the loan application, how to keep the customer happy for the life of the loan, and how to make sure consumers repay their loans. The primary consumer credit segments covered in this Research Note include home equity, auto, and student lending.