As lessons learned during the Great Recession become more distant, consumers are increasingly spending money again on everything from clothes, to cars, to condos, and the bills are piling up, especially for consumers who took a lump or two to their credit score over the past few years.

Climbing again

The amount of money Americans owe on revolving loans, such as credit cards, has marched from a post-recession low of $837 billion to $882 billion in October. Motor vehicle debt reached an all-time high of $943 billion in the third quarter, and the amount of money borrowed from banks to buy property has climbed for six consecutive quarters.

That may be good news for credit card companies like Discover Financial (NYSE: DFS ) and banks like Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) , but it may not be good news for consumers, who are discovering that lenders are focusing more attention than ever on credit scores compiled by companies like Equifax (NYSE: EFX ) . Those credit scores determine whether or not a credit card or loan will be approved, and what interest rate the borrower will be charged.