A relatively new breed of small loans created by fintechs and offered by retailers is expanding the credit market, especially among young consumers, according to a study released Thursday.

TransUnion, the credit reporting agency based in Chicago, analyzed lending patterns of millions of people who applied for Buy-Now-Pay-Later loans — or Point-of-Sale (PoS) loans — and compared them to others seeking credit who did not apply for PoS loans.

Some have worried that these short-term loans might lead consumers into more debt than they can handle. Or, from some lenders' point of view, that consumers would borrow more on these store plans and reduce their balances on their credit cards or other consumer debt.