revolving debt

Before the Great Recession, U.S. consumer debt had risen fairly steadily for more than a decade. With the downturn, it finally dropped...until December's small rise. However, a longer look at the trend of ever-rising debt shows that America is still extraordinarily overextended.

After two years of relative frugality caused by the financial crisis, Americans are again borrowing in a big way. Consumer spending is surely good for the economy, but have Americans learned any lessons about loading up on red ink?

Equifax has ranked the U.S. metropolitan areas that are still suffering the most from high credit card debt, and found the majority of the areas with the highest debt-to-income ratios are located in six states. But the six might not be the ones you'd guess.

Consumer credit unexpectedly rose by $2.1 billion in September, but the rise is only a partial victory for those who argue that credit expansion is required for the U.S. economy to return to a normal growth rate, because credit card debt fell for the second straight month. If that decreased plastic use continues this fall, it will likely weigh on retailers%u2019 holiday shopping revenue.

Credit card use plunged for the sixth straight month in July, with total consumer debt falling by $3.6 billion, or 1.75%, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced Wednesday.

Consumer credit use fell another $1.3 billion in June, the Federal Reserve said, as Americans kept their credit cards in their wallets. But the belt tightening was less than expected: Economists had predicted credit would contract by $5 billion.

Even though it's more important than ever to be familiar with your credit score and what affects that crucial number, experts say a lot of Americans don't know nearly as much as they should about what they do that can impact their score. WalletPop got on the phone with John Ulzheimer, president of...

Consumer credit rose a slight $1 billion in April, but March's total was deeply slashed -- to a $5.4 billion decrease from the initial $2 billion rise. The revision means total consumer debt has fallen in 12 of the last 14 months.

Just call it "the sound of no cards swiping." Americans are keeping their credit cards in their wallets. Balances on U.S. consumer credit cards in August fell at a 5.8 percent annual rate, or by $11.98 billion, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced Wednesday. It was the seventh consecutive monthly...