A September snapshot released with clear date boundaries
Equifax says total US consumer debt reached $18.56 trillion in September 2026, up 2.9% from a year earlier and 0.6% from August. The figures come from its proprietary national consumer-credit data, summarized in a November 11 release. They are not a Federal Reserve debt estimate or a reading of borrowing today.
The linked October portfolio-report resource is dated November 9 and describes data through September. Its full report is gated behind a download form; the figures here come from Equifax's publicly readable summary and monthly tables.
Home-equity balances grew faster than the total
Home-equity lines of credit reached $461.9 billion, up 13.3% year over year and 1.7% from August. First-mortgage balances were about $13.08 trillion. These are outstanding balances, rather than new-loan approvals or a statement that every homeowner borrowed more.
Equifax reports non-mortgage debt of $4.79 trillion, including auto, student-loan and bankcard balances. Year-to-date non-mortgage write-offs were $104.9 billion through September, compared with $104.4 billion a year earlier: broadly stable, but slightly higher.
Improved delinquency rates do not describe every borrower
The summary puts the bankcard severe delinquency rate, defined there as more than 60 days past due, at 2.74%, nine basis points below September 2025. The corresponding auto delinquency rate was 1.50%, down seven basis points. Write-offs and overdue balances are separate measures and should not be treated as interchangeable.
The release does not supply a full sampling or reconciliation methodology, or a numerical income-group breakdown. The aggregate improvements do not establish any individual borrower's repayment position, and this report does not recommend using home equity or taking on credit.
