TransUnion: Personal Debt Levels Rise, Though Major Canadian Metro Areas See Stabilization

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - Nov 13, 2013) - TransUnion's quarterly analysis of Canadian credit trends found that the average consumer's total debt (excluding mortgage) in Q3 2013 increased $225 to $27,355. This quarterly increase of 0.83% was in line with the rise observed in Q2 2013 after a significant decline (-2.00%) experienced in the first quarter of 2013. On a year-over-year basis, total debt increased 2.19% from $26,770 in Q3 2012.

Despite the increase, two of the country's largest cities -- Toronto and Vancouver -- experienced both quarterly and yearly declines in average consumer total debt. Montreal, the country's second largest city by population, saw minimal rises on both a quarterly and yearly basis. The only major city to experience a rise in debt greater than the national average was Edmonton, with total debt rising 4.6% in the last year.

"While we saw a rise in total debt on both a quarterly and yearly basis for the nation, it is a positive sign that Canada's largest metropolitan areas appear to be getting a better handle on their total debt picture," said Thomas Higgins, TransUnion's vice president of analytics and decision services. "Having said that, we still foresee a significant increase in average consumer debt through the end of the year. This rise is due to traditional debt patterns in the fourth quarter where more consumers take on debt during the holiday shopping season."

The increase in average debt varied throughout Canada, with provinces experiencing year-over-year changes from a low in BC of -0.40% to a high in Saskatchewan of 15.49%.

Consumer Debt - Quarterly/Yearly

Total consumer debt increases were seen across all product categories.

• Canadian average credit card borrower debt (defined as the aggregate balance on all credit cards for an individual bankcard borrower) posted a quarterly increase of 1.82%, helping to post the consecutive year over year increases (2.13%).
  


• Canadian lines of credit (LOC) borrower debt (defined as the aggregate balance on all LOC for an individual LOC borrower) was off its year over year growth trend for Q3, up only 0.30%, while posting its third consecutive decrease of -1.41% quarter over quarter.
  


• Canadian installment loan borrower debt (defined as the aggregate balance on all installment loans for an individual installment loan borrower) increased 5.51% year over year, its fourth consecutive quarter above 5%, and 1.57% quarter over quarter.


• Canadian auto borrower debt (defined as the aggregate balance on all auto captive loans for an individual auto captive borrower) increased 3.17% year over year, continuing its decelerating growth path over the past several quarters (1.63% quarter over quarter).

"The big story on the consumer debt front is that despite an overall increase in balances, lines of credit borrowers continue to buck the trend, with balances dropping for three consecutive quarters," said Higgins. "This is important because lines of credit make up about 40% of all consumer debt, when excluding mortgages."

Consumer Delinquencies - Quarterly/Yearly

Delinquency levels remained low for all credit products with lines of credit and auto captives continuing to have the lowest percentages.

"The relatively low delinquency levels observed in the third quarter are a positive sign that Canadian consumers are managing their greater debt loads," said Higgins. "Credit card delinquencies saw the biggest decline on a percentage basis in the last year, which is a positive as we embark on the final three months of the year when credit card usage tends to pick up."

		Q3 2012		Q4 2012		Q1 2013		Q2 2013		Q3 2013		Q/Q Chg		Y/Y Chg
Credit Cards		0.30%		0.30%		0.32%		0.24%		0.24%		0.93%		-18.4%
Lines of Credit		0.19%		0.18%		0.18%		0.17%		0.18%		4.62%		-6.31%
Installment Loans		1.22%		1.18%		1.18%		1.14%		1.26%		10.35%		3.25%
Information for Good®. Connect with us Solutions TruAudience TruValidate TruVision TruIQ TruEmpower TruLookup TruContact Industries Automotive Communications Financial Services Gaming Insurance Media & Entertainment Explore all Industries  Business Needs Credit Portfolio Management Customer Acquisition Debt Recovery Financial Inclusion Fraud Prevention Improve Customer Experience Company About Us Careers Partners Investor relations Newsroom Sustainability Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Global Technology Contact Us Support Consumer Support Services Business Support Services Compliance & Permissible Purpose Data Security Data Reporting Do not sell or share my personal information Personal information we collect Limit the use of my sensitive personal information Solutions TruAudience TruValidate TruVision TruIQ TruEmpower TruLookup TruContact Industries Automotive Communications Financial Services Gaming Insurance Media & Entertainment Business Needs Credit Portfolio Management Customer Acquisition Debt Recovery Financial Inclusion Fraud Prevention Improve Customer Experience Company About Us Careers Partners Investor relations Newsroom Sustainability Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Global Technology Contact Us Support Consumer Support Services Business Support Services Compliance & Permissible Purpose Data Security Data Reporting Do not sell or share my personal information Personal information we collect Limit the use of my sensitive personal information Terms of Use Privacy Policy FCPA policy Cookie Settings Accessibility Sitemap © Copyright 2023 TransUnion LLC. All Rights Reserved.