Consumer debt figures continued to worsen throughout 2008, according to a recent report.

This week, Debt Settlement USA announced that its Consumer Debt Index had jumped nearly 30 percent since the third quarter of 2007, and more than 6.5 percent since the previous quarter.

The company calculates the Consumer Debt Index by combining other figures like the Consumer Price Index, nationwide mortgage and consumer loan delinquency rates, and consumer credit outstandings.

"The current economic crisis and America's addiction to credit has created a perfect storm in which consumer credit delinquencies will be the next crisis to hit the economy," said Jack Craven of Debt Settlement USA.

The company reported that much of the increase in its debt index was driven by the ongoing surge in mortgage delinquencies, which were up 15.7 percent in the last quarter and 87 percent over the past year. The number of past-due consumer loans is also up 16 percent in the last year.

In September, the Associated Press cited separate figures showing that as of July, card payment rates had already been falling for the past nine months. Despite the drop in payment rates, credit card use continued to grow by 4.8 percent that same month.

Consumers currently owe more than $2 trillion in combined credit card debts, and for some, options like payday loans could be useful when it comes to ensuring that late fees and other payment issues are avoided.

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