I read an article:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303945704579390924287626780that explains that some of the rise in mortgage debt is due to less bankruptcies or foreclosures (which apparently reduce debt figures) so the part where more people are actually paying their debt without having to foreclose is good, although it raises the debt numbers. The student loan debt is scary, though, and another article says 1/3 of the rise is from the poorest or lower-credit classes, so could mean huge problems down the road. The tuition at the same state university almost doubled from when my son started to when my daughter finished, about 7 years total. It was hard coming up with higher and higher tuition and expenses, so I can see why many turn to student loans to get through.
