The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit shows U.S. household debt increased by USD 334 billion, or 1.8%, to USD 19.1 trillion in Q3 2026, led by mortgage borrowing. Overall delinquency rates worsened, with 5.0% of outstanding debt in some stage of delinquency, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter.
Mortgage balances increased by USD 257 billion to USD 13.4 trillion, while mortgage originations reached USD 595 billion. Balances on home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) rose by USD 23 billion to USD 481 billion, the largest quarterly increase since 2005. Credit card balances increased by USD 22 billion to USD 1.29 trillion, and auto loan balances grew by USD 21 billion to USD 1.73 trillion.
Delinquency trends varied across loan categories. Transitions into early delinquency increased for auto loans and mortgages but improved slightly for credit cards. Transitions into serious delinquency, defined as 90 days or more overdue, improved slightly for credit cards and student loans and remained flat for auto loans and HELOCs. Mortgage transitions into serious delinquency worsened but remained low by historical standards.