(NewsNation) — American households owe a record $18.4 trillion, and federal data shows complaints about aggressive debt collection have surged over the past year.

The Federal Trade Commission logged over 140,000 consumer complaints about debt collection in the second quarter — a 220% jump from the same period a year earlier. Georgia, Texas and Florida recorded the highest rates.

Nearly 60,000 of those reports involved debts that weren't owed or abusive collection practices — more than triple the number from a year earlier.

One reason for the rise: More Americans have fallen behind on payments. The delinquency rate on consumer loans was 2.8% in the second quarter, near the highest level since 2012.

Credit card balances have climbed to $1.1 trillion, with the average debt per borrower at

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