Nearly a third of those making applications wanted to put all their debts in one place, a survey for Lloyds Bank suggested, with another third wanting to buy cars and bikes.
It said 84% of borrowers were confident about making future repayments.
Debt charities urge debtors to budget for interest rate rises.
People should also consider how they would repay were they to have a significant change in their life, such as the addition of a child or the loss of a job.
Lloyds said that while major purchases might prompt loan applications, there was a fall in the share of loans used to fund home improvements.
It added that borrowers were more confident in the second quarter of the year than the first when it came to making repayments on unsecured loans. The proportion rose from 81% to 84%.
The bank said that this signalled that people were increasingly "in control" of their finances.
Many analysts have warned that this confidence could take a knock when the Bank of England raises interest rates.
Such a move could come as early as the start of the new year.

Tiote, 30, died after collapsing during training for Chinese second-tier side Beijing Enterprises on 5 June.
Friends, family and former team-mates attended the memorial and his coffin was draped with an Ivory Coast flag.
"I lived some extraordinary moments with this man and today he is gone," said Senegal striker Cisse, who spent four years at Newcastle.
"He was like a brother. We shared a lot in life. His family was my family," added the Shandong Lueng player, who was in tears at the service.
In his seven years at Newcastle, Ivory Coast international Tiote made over 150 appearances, including three last season.
He joined Beijing Enterprises in February.
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Organisers said about 10,000 people were expected, in the city's biggest show of solidarity with foreigners.
At least five people have been killed and foreign-owned shops looted in attacks since last week.
The influential Zulu king has been accused of fuelling the violence - charges he denies.
For the latest news, views and analysis see the BBC Africa Live page.
Locals accuse foreigners of taking their jobs in a country where the official unemployment rate is 24%.
Tens of thousands of foreigners, mostly from other African states and Asia, have moved to South Africa since white-minority rule ended in 1994.
At least 62 people died in xenophobic attacks that swept South Africa in 2008.
Are you in Durban? What is your reaction to the march against xenophobia? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience.
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Borrowers are applying for personal loans mostly to consolidate existing debt or to buy cars and bikes, a lender has suggested.
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Papiss Cisse led the tributes at a memorial for former Newcastle United team-mate Cheick Tiote in China.
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South Africa is set to hold a huge protest march against xenophobia in the coastal city of Durban following a wave of attacks on foreigners.