US consumers sharply increased use of their credit cards in March, pushing up total borrowing at the fastest pace in more than a decade, AP reported. The Federal Reserve reported Friday that total consumer borrowing rose $29.7 billion in March, a 10% jump from the previous month. It was the largest percentage gain since a surge of 18.4% in November 2001. Total borrowing rose to a fresh record of $3.59 trillion. Borrowing in the category that includes credit cards jumped $11.1 billion, or 14.2%, the biggest one-month gain in this category since July 2000. Borrowing for auto and student loans rose $18.6 billion, up 8.5%.
