The nation is not expected to bring consumer debt under control until next summer.

And much consumer debt has nothing to do with buying things.

This is one reason for the extraordinary growth of consumer debt in the 1980's.

The rest, many of them, have done their shopping on credit, and consumer debt is at very high levels.

But I am very concerned about the fact that a lot of consumers in our country have got high consumer debt.

The December increase placed total consumer debt at $612.57 billion, up 6 percent from the end of 1986.

But there has been a dramatic rise in consumer debt over the same period.

Consumer debt has reached its highest level in at least 20 years, according to one measure.

Consumer debt jumped 36 percent in January, to $5.42 billion.

The level of outstanding consumer debt at 30 September this year was £52.6 billion.