Consumers did not leave home without their credit cards in the past few months. According to the personal-finance website WalletHub, they racked up $35.6 billion in debt during the second quarter, setting an all-time record for that period.
WalletHub said that although Americans repaid $38.2 billion of the more than $1 trillion in credit card debt in the first quarter of 2019, the second-quarter spending nearly wiped out that effort.
As a result of the overspending, WalletHub now projects a $70 billion net increase in consumer credit card debt for 2019 overall. Last year ended with $66.5 billion in new credit card debt, WalletHub said.
The average household’s credit card balance stands at $8,602, WalletHub said, noting that the $35.6 billion in credit card debt added during the second quarter is 64% higher than the second quarter pay-down last year.
California tops the list with the biggest second-quarter debt increase of $4.4 billion. Texas came in second with a $3.2 billion increase, Florida was third with a $2.3 billion increase, followed by New York with $2.3 billion more. Illinois rounded out the top five with a $1.5 billion increase in credit card debt.
The five states with the smallest second-quarter debt are Vermont with $59 million, Wyoming with $62 million, North Dakota with $75 million, South Dakota with $85 million and Delaware with $106 million.
Consumers, WalletHub said, are banking on a Federal Reserve interest rate cut on September 18. In fact, 75% support a cut. It also pointed out that a reduction in the interest rate would save people with credit card debt $1.6 billion in the next year alone.
Additionally, WalletHub research revealed that 56% of people indicated it’s good for the economy when the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates. Forty-one percent said they will feel more confident in the economy with a rate cut, 72% said a rate reduction is good for their own wallet, and 68% said the interest rates on their loans are currently too high.
Credit Card Debt Hit Q2 Record
September 12, 2019
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