Pound signs

£102bn
The amount of consumer spending on credit cards in 2002 - up from £70bn in 1999. Nearly a quarter of high street spending last year was on credit cards. £107bn was spent on debit cards.

61m
The number of credit cards in circulation. There are 1,300 types. But most are issued by one of 33 issuers. There are also 59.4 million debit cards in circulation.

£430m
The value of credit and debit card fraud last year - up by more than 50% in two years.

£14.4bn

The value of secured borrowing in 2002, up from £10.5bn in 2001. More than 700,000 loans were taken out last year, for an average of more than £20,000.

12m
The number of cheques cleared each working day. Three-quarters of cheques are issued for £100 or less.

£5,000
The average unsecured debt of adults in the UK last year. More than six million households are finding it difficult to meet their financial commitments.

£20,000
The amount of debt that the government thinks students can take on as a good long-term investment.

£21bn
The amount of mortgage lending which took place in April 2003 (including re-mortgaging). This represented a 28% increase on the April 2002 figure of £16.4bn.

· Sources: Datamonitor, The Financial Services Authority, Association of Payment Clearing Services, Credit Card Research Group, Council of Mortgage Lenders.