The number of new credit card accounts and monthly purchase volumes continued to expand this year, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest Credit Card Market Monitor.

The ABA’s November report, which reflected credit card data from April through June, showed that monthly purchase volumes rose 5.1 percent for subprime accounts and 8.3 percent for super-prime accounts. The report also indicated that the number of new credit card accounts increased 84.9 million during that period, or 11 percent, from the same period in 2015.

“Consumer spending was strong in the second quarter, driven in part by an improving labor market and steadily rising wages,” Jess Sharp, executive director of the ABA’s card policy council, said in a statement. “As consumers continue to gravitate toward credit cards, it’s no surprise that purchase volumes and account openings are on the rise.”

The ABA concluded from its report that even though credit card usage is increasing, consumers are not overleveraging themselves. The ABA said the share of transactor accounts, or those who pay off their balances in full each month, rose 0.7 percent to 29.5 percent of all accounts and that credit card credit relative to real disposable income totaled 5.23 percent, in line with post-recession lows. Further, the association said that while the number of new accounts rose to a post-recession high of 84.9 million, just 20 percent of those were subprime accounts, compared with 28 percent in early 2009. Additionally, the average credit line for a subprime account has risen slowly, or 7 percent, over the last three years, and remains 25 percent below post-recession levels.

The full report is available here.

ABA Report: New Credit Cards Hit Post-Recession Highs, But Consumers Diligent With Debt

by Banker & Tradesman time to read: 1 min
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