Household debt increased by $18 billion, or just 0.1%, to hold steady at $18.8 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported in its most recent Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit.
Mortgage balances grew by $21 billion in the first quarter and totaled $13.19 trillion at the end of March, according to the New York Fed. Home equity lines of credit balances rose by $12 billion, totaling $446 billion. Credit card balances fell by $25 billion and stood at $1.25 trillion. Auto loan balances increased by $18 billion to $1.69 trillion, while student loan balances remained essentially flat, decreasing by $6 billion and standing at $1.66 trillion.
Aggregate delinquency showed little change in Q1, with 4.8% of outstanding debt in some stage of delinquency. Transitions into early delinquency held steady for auto loans, but ticked down for credit cards, from 8.7% annually to 8.6%, and for mortgages from 3.9% to 3.8%. Transitions into serious delinquency were mostly unchanged for auto loans and credit cards but accelerated slightly for mortgages from 1.4% to 1.5%.
