Article: nation.(Front)

Consumer debt drops eighth month in a row

WASHINGTON | Outstanding consumer credit fell at a 7.2 percent annual rate in September, the eighth consecutive decline, the Federal Reserve reported Friday. Credit balances had never fallen eight months in a row before in the 66-year history of the data. Consumer credit fell by $14.8 billion, to $2.46 trillion, in September, down 4.7 percent compared with a year ago. Outstanding credit can fall if consumers pay off balances or if lenders write off bad loans.

Outstanding balances have fallen in 12 of the past 14 months. Credit fell a revised $9.9 billion in August, down from the original estimate of a $12 billion ...

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