Swapalease.com reported lease credit approvals during the month of July climbed to the highest monthly level of the year, reversing a trend that saw continuous decline since January largely due to an increase in the number of subprime credit applicants.

The company pinpointed the July approval reading at 81.0 percent.

Despite the high marks in July, Swapalease attributed the growing number of credit declines so far this year to a rising number of vehicle-lease shoppers with subprime credit profiles seeking to enter the leasing market. Different than financing, the company acknowledged most subprime candidates will not qualify for a lease, nor lease takeover, from the bank overseeing the vehicle’s payment schedule.

Even with July’s high numbers, analysts indicated, the year-to-date approvals rate has fallen to 66.5 percent of all lease applicants, compared with a year-to-date rate of 75.6 percent in July of 2013.

Swapalease works to help subprime shoppers elevate their credit profile through a program sponsored by ConsumerDirect.com. Once these shoppers revitalize their credit they can re-enter the Swapalease.com marketplace and reapply for a lease assumption.

“Credit has always been the lifeblood of every lease program, and all lease companies in the Swapalease.com marketplace adhere to their own guidelines,” said Scot Hall, executive vice president of Swapalease.com.

“We will be taking a closer look at the number of subprime candidates that continue to shop in our marketplace, and will look to identify additional programs to help them become qualified lease candidates,” Hall continued.