Consumers opened their wallets in June, but did so more slowlyand not as widely as they did in May, payments processor First Data Corpreported Monday.

First Data issues its monthly SpendTrend Report onconsumers' use of payment methods. The report tracks same-storepoint-of-sale data by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT,closed-loop prepaid cardsand checks from nearly four million merchant locations serviced bythe processor.

“This month's trends showed some slowing in spending growth butoverall, spending remains healthy, reflecting the recoveringeconomy and consumer willingness to spend compared to the same timelast year,” Krish Mantripragada, First Data senior vice presidentsaid. “An increase in credit usage reflects steady growth in creditlending, improved consumer credit quality and a growing consumerconfidence in their personal finances.”