BANKING & FINANCE - Dec. 8, 1992

Consumer Credit Increases: Americans took out their credit cards again in October, pushing overall installment credit to its first back-to-back increase in a year, according to a Federal Reserve Board report. Consumer debt outstanding rose 0.4%, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, after a 2.4% increase in September, the Fed said. Economists said that’s a sign that Americans gradually are regaining their optimism in the economy just before the start of the crucial holiday shopping season. Before the latest gains, consumer credit had been down for eight straight months.