CINCINNATI — Vehicle lease applicants registered just a 54.3% approval rate in July, according to car lease marketplace Swapalease.

July’s credit approval rate is already showing a decrease (68.8%) from the previous month. A year ago the approvals rate was just slightly higher, reaching 57.7%. Overall, this year’s credit approval numbers have been somewhat lower than in years past.

“Both the state of the economy and the increased number of applicants indicate that more consumers are ready to lease vehicles,” said Scot Hall, executive vice president of Swapalease.com. “Unfortunately, their credit doesn’t always reflect that readiness. As the economy continues to improve, giving more people the incentive to lease vehicles out of their reach, we expect to the number of declines to be higher than normal.”

Hall attributed the dip in lease credit approvals to a combination of factors, including a higher volume of lease applicants with less-than-stellar credit worthiness, and a higher number of applicants looking for vehicles in higher-priced categories. During this time of year, Swapalease.com also typically sees a dip in the approval ratings because students with lower credit scores are looking for vehicle leases entering the new college school year.

Swapalease.com matches a person wanting out of their existing vehicle lease contract with a car shopper looking to take over a short-term vehicle lease. The marketplace has thousands of cars and trucks available for transfer to anywhere in the continental U.S.