Consumer credit surges again in January (by Greg Robb)

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. consumers increased their debt in January by a seasonally adjusted $17.8 billion for a third month of sharp gains, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday. Over the three most recently reported months, consumer debt has gained an average of $18.0 billion, compared with an average monthly gain of $5.3 billion from October 2010 until October 2011. The increase in January was larger than the roughly $10 billion gain expected by Wall Street economists. The increase was powered by non-revolving debt such as auto loans, personal loans and student loans-these three categories combined for a $20.7 billion jump in January, the biggest gain since November 2001. Credit card debt fell by $2.9 billion in the month, the first decline since August.