More than 110 million consumers in the U.S. are affected by negative items on their credit ratings, according to a recent study.

The website badcreditoffers.com notes that its statistic is due to rising delinquencies on everything from mortgages to credit cards among increasingly squeezed middle class consumers.

"Unfortunately this trend toward bad credit will likely continue in the near-term, as people struggle to make payments on their homes, their cars, and their credit cards," said website spokesman TJ Smith.

Smith also predicted "a spike in credit card defaults in 2009" as growing numbers of consumers have difficulty paying off debts and in many cases, finding new jobs. This means that tens of millions of Americans are likely to face higher borrowing costs - specifically, high interest rates - and have a far more difficult time actually eliminating their debt.

With credit markets as tight as ever and with many consumers unable to gain new or reasonable lines of credit, there are still various short-term loan options they can explore to meet their immediate financial needs.

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