NEW YORK (PNN) - May 9, 2018 - After the party, the hangover.
Total consumer credit rose 5.1% in the first quarter, compared to a year earlier, or by $184 billion, to $3.824 trillion (not seasonally adjusted), according to the Federal Reserve. This includes credit-card debt, auto loans, and student loans, but not mortgage-related debt. That 5.1% year-over-year increase isn’t setting any records - in 2011, year-over-year increases ran over 11%. But it does show that Amerikans are dealing with the economy and their joys and woes the Amerikan way: by piling on debt faster than the overall economy is growing.