The bust that followed the epic borrowing binge of the late-2000s has apparently had a sobering effect on younger borrowers.
Americans under 35 are carrying substantially less debt than they were before the 2008 meltdown, according to an analysis released Thursday by The Pew Research Center. Still, they've also put off the big ticket purchases like cars and houses that are typically the main reasons for taking on debt.
The devastating impact of the credit bust and the resulting surge in home foreclosures also left many younger borrowers more than a little gun-shy.
Until 2006, generations of young adult Americans had no reason to doubt the conventional wisdom that buying a house was a sure-fire investment.