Student-Loan Delinquencies Rise, Adding To Fears Of An Education Bubble

Alexander Eichler
The Huffington Post
August 167, 2011

While the job market remains sluggish, student loan debt continues to rise, fueling fears that a higher-education spending bubble may be underway.

Outstanding student debt has climbed 25 percent since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York — an increase from $440 billion then to $550 billion now. By contrast, every other major category of consumer debt, including mortgage debt, credit card debt, auto loans and home equity loans, is lower today than it was in the fall of 2008.

Not only has student debt risen precipitously, but more and more of those loans aren’t getting paid off on time. In the second quarter of 2011, the rate of student loans that were more than 90 days past due rose from 10.6 percent to 11.2 percent, according to the New York Fed.

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This article was posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 1:05 pm

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