What must finance charges be stated in?

Finance charges must be stated in the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) because the APR provides a standardized measure of the cost of borrowing expressed as a yearly interest rate. This allows consumers to easily compare the cost of different financing options offered by various lenders. By stating finance charges as an APR, it encompasses not only the interest rate on the loan but also any associated fees, enabling a clearer understanding of the total cost of credit over time.

Other forms like monthly payments or total cost of credit may present useful information, but they don't uniformly convey the ongoing cost of borrowing in a way that is comparable across different financial products. Loan application fees, while related, are just one component of the overall financing costs and do not encompass all potential charges a borrower may face. Therefore, expressing finance charges as the APR is essential for transparency and informed decision-making in financing.