CONSUMER FINANCE HAS COME to play a major role in America's economic life since the end of World War II. Consumer finance companies' have entered the ranks of big business and have become increasingly important from an investor standpoint. This article examines the postwar profitability of the consumer finance industry in terms of (1) an analysis of the composite earnings record of the principal units in the industry, (2) a comparison of this record with the composite performance of the major industrial enterprises in the nation, and (3) a comparison with the performance of the primary industries in the manufacturing and trade sectors of the economy. To make the interindustry comparison, this study uses a substantial body of data already compiled for 33 industry groups.2 Therefore, the procedures employed in developing the 33-industry data have been adopted in both selecting the sample and compiling the financial information for the consumer finance industry.