In one of the best certifications of auto lending's strength, Equifax today reported that auto lending originations in the first half of 2011 climbed 15% compared to the same period in 2010.

The results are part of Equifax's National Credit Trends Report released late last week. 

Specifically, Equifax wrote:

Auto lending continues to be one of the lending industry's bright spots, with new auto loan originations from January-June 2011 up 15 percent over the same period in 2010. Auto loan originations are now consistent with pre-recession levels.

Consumers' payment behavior continues to improve, and as a result, the average Equifax Risk Score reached 696 for August 2011. This shift in consumer behavior is also confirmed in the latest data from CreditForecast.com, a joint service of Equifax and Moody's Analytics, which reports that overall households have reduced debt loads by $1.1 trillion since October 2008.