Households help keep government borrowing rates low.

An emphasis by consumers on boosting savings and limiting debt is continuing to help ensure that the government can borrow at rock-bottom rates even though the economy remains sluggish and its debt mounts. As of March 6, deposits at U.S. financial institutions surpassed loans by $2.03T; a month before Lehman collapsed, loans exceeded deposits by $205B. In 2012, households put $1.04T in Treasuries, up from $648B in 2011.