|
Living with credit (88)
|
New, interesting products (32)
|
Research, regulation, industry reports (92)
|
Rewards (9)
|
Protecting yourself (42)
|
The fine print (14)
|
Credit card miscellany (74)
Credit card spending is up on necessities, sometimes because people have no other option, and sometimes because it's just so convenient nowadays to reach for the plastic.
The first of a series of posts showing why it's hard to stop credit card and identity theft cybercrimes. Part one tells the story of a wildly successful international credit card fraud ring and its flamboyant alleged leader.
Credit cardholders are apparently charge-happy once more: After a slowdown in February, credit card activity ramped up in March.
Just another reason to continue the shift from cash and coins to plastic: Some coins now cost more to produce than what they are actually worth.
Getting approved for a credit card became increasingly difficult for consumers with bad credit, based on the results of the latest Federal Reserve bank data.
My co-workers and I share our most impulsive and wacky credit card purchases.
When you comparison shop for credit cards, go beyond looking at teaser rates and rewards, and include looking at default rates. Because, sometimes, when you least expect it, Paula happens.
The Federal Reserve's board meeting on unfair banking practices was a fair introduction to Washington's credit card journalistic milieu.
This was an exciting week in the personal finance world: Another rate cut, Fed approval of rules to end unfair credit card practices and an announcement that the stimulus checks are out early. Accordingly, I have found great questions, advice and thoughts in the personal finance blogosphere. Here is this week's round-up, including topics such as personal debt being sold on eBay, why credit cards are handy for paying bills and a scam from 1800-Flowers.
Unfair or deceptive trade practices cited in new proposed credit card banking rules.
A U.S. court has granted the Federal Trade Commission's request to penalize a Canadian group that engaged in a cross-border telemarketing scheme. Under their ploy, the Canuck fraudsters offered credit cards and free gifts to consumers in exchange for a fee -- but ultimately failed to provide either the cards or items.
Now that May is here, it's time to begin planning for Mother's Day (it's the 11th). Struggling to come up with gift ideas besides flowers and jewelry? How about a faux credit card that she can redeem for hugs and kisses?
Credit bureau TransUnion said that both credit card debt and delinquency increased in the final months of last year.
PCI standards exist to keep credit card transactions and data safe. While some merchants are not yet PCI compliant, it turns out that even those who are may not have enough safeguards to ward off data breaches. Many retailers are beginning to go above and beyond the industry standards to further protect their customers' data.
Are the Fed's unfair and deceptive trade practices regulations too little, too late as one congresswoman suggests?
The Wall Street Journal reported that an appeals court on Friday reinstated a 2005 lawsuit charging some of the leading U.S. credit card issuers with breaking the law by forcing credit card users to sign away their right to bring complaints to court by including arbitration-only clauses in cardholder contracts.
American Express says its first-quarter profit was hurt by increasing loan-loss provisions and delinquencies, signaling that the economic slowdown is catching up with even AmEx's more affluent cardholder clientele.
It's no secret that identity theft is becoming an increasingly common crime. What's changing the game, however, his how people are committing the crimes. Criminals are constantly developing new schemes, and it's important to stay aware of them to prevent becoming a victim. Here are two recent identity theft crimes worth highlighting.
Love wins over money most of the time, but con men are more frequently using online dating to find victims. Here's some of the latest news in love and money.
Cars are putting a crimp on U.S. wallets, according to an analysis by credit bureau TransUnion, which says that auto loan debt rose nationwide in the final months of last year.
Credit card write-offs for Target Corp. increased from 6.8 percent to 8.1 percent from February to March, reports Bloomberg.com.
In Japan, smart cards are in wide use, and are being put to a noble cause -- preventing kids from buying cigarettes.
Traveling to Paris but not sure where to wine and dine? Want to book a trip to Fiji but have no idea which resort is the swankiest? Clueless about what activities to do in Rio de Janeiro? American Express has recently created a social networking community, Members Know, where cardholders can both ask for and provide such travel advice to each other.
While America is on course to be a land of plastic-only transactions, Great Britain is seeing an increase in cash use. This is likely due to fraud outbreaks, climbing credit card debt and a housing crisis not much different from our own.
The only form of plastic Discover Financial Services has issued since its beginnings in 1986 is credit cards. After recently signing an agreement with PULSE, an ATM/debit network owned by Discover, and seven other financial institutions, the company will now issue debit cards as well.
Delinquencies and charge-offs were up, but not shockingly so, at Bank of America, according to its first quarter results.
A new survey from AARP reveals that more than half of American adults have made investment mistakes due to confusion by financial jargon. Another recent survey showed teens lack financial literacy. It’s not surprising that young people still have a lot to learn, but it appears that adults aren’t much better off.
With all the carnage in the financial industry's quarterly reports, Capital One's first quarter results can be described as not as bad as it could have been.
It's official. More regulation is coming this spring from the Federal Reserve to improve disclosures and outlaw some credit card industry practices.
|
About
They're the pieces of plastic we love, and love to hate. Get the latest news, tips, research and more from the CreditCards.com staff.
Archives
All Blogs
Filter by: This month
TagsOther Voices and BlogsUseful Links |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Secure SSL Technology |
|
|||||||||||
