VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – We always hear about why we shouldn’t carry too much consumer debt, but is that message getting through? New numbers from credit reporting company TransUnion suggest it isn’t.

Debt levels, excluding mortgages, have risen nearly three per cent since this time last year here in BC, to a country-leading average of $37,879.

A spike in car loans seems to be driving this, signalling a return in consumer confidence, as they’re up 13.25 per cent year-over-year. Though there is a concern we may be getting a little complacent with our cash.

“Things may be good, but as we saw in the last recession things can turn ugly fairly quickly if we’re not prepared or have enough of a safety net,” says Thomas Higgins, Vice President of Analytics and Decision Services for TransUnion.

“I think people will be put in a difficult situation if we had another downturn,” he adds.

Debt loads on lines of credit were down 0.4 per cent compared to the second-quarter of 2011, and dropped 2.37 per cent from the previous quarter. Average credit card debt dropped 0.93 per cent year-over-year, but was up 2.7 compared to the first quarter of 2012.

Nationally, non-mortgage debt is at its highest level since TransUnion began tracking it eight years ago. The national average has risen to $26,221, up nearly one per cent from the first quarter of the year, and nearly 2.5 per cent from the same time in 2011.