Consumer credit in the U.S. rose more than projected in September as borrowing for car purchases and education climbed.
The $13.7 billion increase in overall followed a revised $14.2 billion advance in August that was larger than previously estimated, the Federal Reserve reported.
Revolving credit, which includes credit card spending, decreased by $2.1 billion in September, the most in three months, after falling $885 million the previous month, figures from the Federal Reserve showed. The consecutive declines in revolving credit marked the longest such stretch since November 2010.
Non-revolving credit increased $15.8 billion in September after rising $15 billion a month earlier.
A rise in household wealth from increased property values and stock-market gains is giving Americans the ability to borrow for big-ticket purchases such as new cars. At the same time, revolving debt declined for a fourth month, showing limited job and income growth is prompting consumers to ebb away at credit card balances.
Loans by the federal government and private lenders for school tuitions climbed by $35.4 billion before seasonal adjustment in the third quarter to $1.18 trillion. Educational borrowing increased $9.7 billion in the second quarter, the report showed. Auto lending in the third quarter increased $21.2 billion after a $20.1 billion gain in the previous three months.
