Consumer Borrowing Up Sharply in August

"Consumers have boosted their borrowing at the fastest pace in three months, turning increasingly to their credit cards to replace home equity loans as a source of ready cash. The Federal Reserve reported that consumer credit rose at an annual rate of 5.9 percent in August, the biggest increase since a 7.9 percent jump in May." -- Unfortunately for the consumer economy, those credit card limits are much lower than home equity limits.