Business
U.S. Consumer Debt Hits $18.19 Trillion in Q1 2026
Equifax® (NYSE: EFX) has released its Market Pulse First Quarter U.S. Consumer Credit Trends, which includes U.S. national consumer credit data and trends through March 2026 sourced from Equifax proprietary data. Consumer debt balances reached an all-time high of $18.19 trillion in March, heavily influenced by an increase in subprime borrowers opening new bank cards and carrying higher balances. The data showed signs of stabilization in some delinquency rates, a deepening "K-shaped" credit lands
About this update from Equifax, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Subprime Borrower Activity Fuels Bankcard Growth; Delinquency Rates Improve for Most Loans, but Rise for Student Debt","length":117,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"ATLANTA, May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax® (NYSE: EFX) has released its Market Pulse First Quarter U.S. Consumer Credit Trends, which includes U.S. national consumer credit data and trends through March 2026 sourced from Equifax proprietary data. Consumer debt balances reached an all-time high of $18.19 trillion in March, heavily influenced by an increase in subprime borrowers opening new bank cards and carrying higher balances. The data showed signs of stabilization in some delinquency rates, a deepening "K-shaped" credit landscape characterized by an increased reliance on subprime bankcards and rising student loan defaults, and strategic lender efforts to improve asset quality through higher write-off rates.","length":738,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Through March 2026, total U.S. consumer debt is $18.19 trillion, up 2.8% from over a year ago.*","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Through March 2026, total U.S. consumer debt is $18.19 trillion, up 2.8% from over a year ago.*","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":240,"height":400,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/1d471da45e37698b64d43757a067a2df"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/lJ6bBjCgqBdaqdNUavVS4g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTcwMA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/1d471da45e37698b64d43757a067a2df","width":240,"height":400},"resize_sm":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/lJ6bBjCgqBdaqdNUavVS4g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTcwMA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/1d471da45e37698b64d43757a067a2df","width":240,"height":400}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2989125/Consumer_Debt_Through_March_2026.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"Increased Reliance on Credit Among Subprime Consumers ","length":53,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Outstanding balances in revolving credit, specifically bankcard, are up almost 4% year-over-year, which is outpacing the March 2026 inflation rate of 3.3%. This increase is largely fueled by a surge of subprime borrowers opening new bankcards. Overall, the number of new bankcard...