NEW YORK, June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. consumers are feeling

worse about money as tariffs fuel concerns about rising prices,

credit reporting agency TransUnion ( TRU ) said.

Of almost 3,000 people polled in May, 27% were pessimistic

about their household finances over the next 12 months, up from

21% in the fourth quarter, TransUnion ( TRU ) data showed.

"The pessimism is up significantly," Charlie Wise, head of

global research and consulting at TransUnion ( TRU ), told Reuters in an

interview. "There's a very clear correlation between that

pessimism and the uncertainty that's come out of the tariffs."

More than half of respondents said they reduced

discretionary spending on dining out, travel and entertainment

in the last three months, and 23% saying they had boosted

emergency savings.

Consumers who were most concerned about tariffs also

expressed plans to borrow more, including through credit cards,

personal loans and buy now, pay later services, the survey

showed.

Inflation was the top concern for 81% of respondents, while

the fear of a recession rose to its highest level in two years.