Payment and predictive analytic firm FICO says a survey of financial institution risk officers finds them confident the consumer demand for credit and loans is going to grow.

The firm's survey, conducted on behalf of the firm by the Professional Risk Managers' International Association, found 46% of respondents expect the amount of new credit requested by consumers to increase over the next six months, while just 16% expect it to decrease.

In addition, FICO reported 46%  of bankers in the survey expect  consumers to want more additional credit line increases on their credit cards, with only 8% expecting them to drop.

Further, 53% expect credit card balances to increase over the next six months while only 7% expect them to decline..

'The theme of the economic recovery seems to be 'slow and steady',” said Andrew Jennings, chief analytics officer at FICO and head of FICO Labs. “Both consumer spending and income ticked up slightly during the summer. I'm sure that contributed to the feeling among our respondents that consumer borrowing is poised to increase. It remains to be seen if the government shutdown causes consumers to tighten their purse strings.”

The executives surveyed reported that 30-39 year olds to lead the demand for increased credit, including credit cards, auto loans, housing finance loans and small business loans, but executives also reported being concerned about this age group and its vulnerability to high student loan depth which may dampen demand.