U.S. Consumer Borrowing Rose 10 Percent in March

(CN) – U.S. consumers ramped up their use of the plastic in March, their use of credit cards pushing up total borrowing at the fastest pace in more than a decade, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.     Total consumer borrowing rose $29.7 billion in March, a 10 percent jump from the previous month. This was the largest percentage gain since a surge of 18.4 percent in November 200.     Borrowing in the category that includes credit cards jumped $11.1 billion, or 14.2 percent, the biggest one-month gain in this category since July 2000.     Borrowing for auto and student loans rose $18.6 billion, up 8.5 percent.