Americans feeling fiscally fit, survey says

Despite careening markets and a drooping housing market, Americans felt more confident about their financial security.
The COUNTRY Financial Security Index rose 1.3 points this month to a reading of 69.9,
The index, which is a bi-monthly measure of Americans’ sentiments toward their overall financial security, marks the second-highest reading of the year, just short of the 70.2 mark recorded in February.
The index records the perceived financial security of respondents on a scale of zero to 100 with a reading of 100 indicating the highest level of security.
According to the survey that coincided with the index, 51% of Americans rated their personal level of financial security favorably, up three percentage points compared to the August reading.
Futhermore, 17% of Americans rated their financial security as “excellent.”
“The increase reflects that Americans have survived all of the concerns this summer and that the subprime-mortgage crisis seems to be settling down,” said Doyle Williams, chief marketing officer.
The Index, which was created by COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services of Bloomington, Ill. this year, was compiled by Rasmussen Reports LLC, an independent research firm, and is based on a national telephone survey of at least 3,000 Americans.