Interesting question. Candidly I havent studied this that much. My assumption is that because officer base pay is higher, they have access to more capital, at least thats how I'd guess it works. My actual practical experience is that most financial products available to service members are borderline predatory, or in fact super predatory. (When I started Guild I mapped the distance from the front gate at Ft. Benning, GA where I attended Basic Airborne Parachutist School, to the the first used car dealership with a super high interest rate. It was .6 mi.)

Beyond the predation, I think theres a cultural issue, too. At USNA 2/C get that car loan (even though they are being paid an E-5 equivalent salary) and almost everyone takes it. Young service members buying cars outside their means is not a problem exclusive to the military community but its exacerbated by that consistent government paycheck that lenders love!