Marketplace lenders, payday lenders and point of sale financiers are well and truly in the forefront of consumer thinking about where to borrow money. On the other hand, either these lenders are too picky or the terms offered are too rotten for consumers to go ahead, if the relatively low rate of growth in personal credit is any guide.Over the past three years, "the number of applications for personal loans at traditional financial institutions such as credit unions, and local and international banks, has remained stable," consumer credit bureau Equifax said in a release yesterday. "In the same period, the number of applications to lenders outside the traditional group has increased 2.5 times."Overall consumer credit applications increased by 10.3 per cent during the June 2017 quarter versus the June 2016 quarter, Equifax said.Personal loan applications - for instance, with payday lenders and marketplace lenders lifted 18.4 per cent over a year. Credit card applications increased by 2.3 per cent over a year.Angus Luffman, senior general manager for consumer products at Equifax, said the "divergent trends seen in personal loan and credit card applications may indicate shifting consumer attitudes toward credit."Luffman said the "average value amount a consumer applies for on a credit card has doubled in the past three years. Yet, in the same period, the total credit card balances accruing interest have declined."This suggests consumers are using credit cards more frequently for every day purchases, while also being careful not to add to the debt load," Luffman said.But it's the secular shift to novel supplier of finance that will have consumer finance heads of more establisher lenders interested.The non-traditional lenders generating inquiry volume for Equifax "is made up of recently established lenders with niche offerings, such as alternate payment options in an online, point-of-sale environment," Luffman said."Despite the increase in personal loan applications, the total personal credit balances, excluding housing, remain flat, as they have been for a number of years."