WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers increased their borrowing in March by the largest amount in nearly a year as borrowing on credit cards rebounded following two months of declines.
The Federal Reserve reports that consumer borrowing expanded by $20.5 billion in March to a fresh record of $3.36 trillion. It was the largest increase since a $26.7 billion surge in April 2014.
Borrowing in the category that covers credit cards shot up $4.4 trillion in March after having fallen in both January and March. It was the biggest gain for consumer credit since last July.
Borrowing in the category that covers auto and student loans rose $16.2 billion after an even stronger $17.2 billion gain in February.