EDGE Miami

Consumers used their credit cards more in March, marking only the second increase in the more than two years since the height of the financial crisis.

Federal prosecutors have charged a California woman and Florida man with helping at least three people build false credit histories that allowed them to obtain millions of dollars in mortgage loans.

It’s getting easier to get a car loan. Local and regional banks have relaxed car loan terms.

Figures provided by FICO Inc. show that 25.5 percent of consumers - nearly 43.4 million people - now have a credit score of 599 or below, marking them as poor risks for lenders. It’s unlikely they will be able to get credit cards, auto loans or mortgages under the tighter lending standards banks now use.