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Credit-card Debt Increased 177% in the Past Decade for the Wealthy

Media Contacts:
  Steve Baughman
SRI Consulting Business Intelligence (SRIC-BI)
+1 650 859 4600
info@sric-bi.com


23 October 2002 — Menlo Park, CA

According to the most recent MacroMonitor data from the Consumer Financial Decisions (CFD) group of SRI Consulting Business Intelligence (SRIC-BI), outstanding credit-card debt has increased by 177% for households with annual incomes of $75,000 or more. A 9 October 2002 Wall Street Journal article, "Debt Problems Hit Even the Wealthy," explored the growth in debt during the past decade among these households. What this article did not describe is the increase in specific types of debt instruments.

The MacroMonitor data show that the incidence among wealthy households of having a first mortgage has remained static from 1992 through 2000. However, the incidences of the next three most common types of debt—credit cards (34% to 58%), vehicle loans (33% to 51%), and secondary debt on the primary home (29% to 36%)—have all increased significantly. The lion's share of this debt is the mortgage on the primary home, which has grown by 37% from an average of $61,590 to $84,143 for all affluent households. And although the mean amount that the affluent owe in secondary debt (second mortgages and home equity lines of credit) on the primary home has gone up only 14%, vehicle loans have increased by 133% (from $3,910 to $9,097), and credit-card outstanding debt has increased by 177% (from $1,240 to $3,437)!


INCREASED DEBT AMONG THE WEALTHY

Increased Debt Among the Wealthy




About Consumer Financial Decisions (CFD)

CFD (http://www.sric-bi.com/CFD/) provides strategic insight and data services to support financial services marketing. Deliverables include reports, briefings, and data sets.

About SRI Consulting Business Intelligence

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