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Average bankcard borrower debt in the United States was $5,710 for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, an increase of 1.6% from $5,621 in the previous quarter and up 6% compared with $5,387 during the third quarter of last year, according to TransUnion.com's quarterly credit card analysis. The Chicago-based credit bureau defines average bankcard borrower debt as the total bankcard debt per bankcard borrower. "The third quarter of 2008 saw a drop in the nation's disposable income per capita and an increase in unemployment, putting additional burden on the consumer's ability to repay credit card debt," Ezra Becker, principal consultant in TransUnion's financial services group, said in the report. Alaska has the highest state average bankcard debt with $7,827, followed by Nevada at $6,636 and Tennessee at $6,568, according to the report. The states with the lowest Q3 average bankcard debt were Iowa with $4,277, North Dakota with $4,403 and West Virginia with $4,517. Wyoming, Delaware and Arizona had the steepest increases in average bankcard debt over the previous quarter with 4.96%, 4.12% and 3.12%, respectively.
