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Living with credit (248)
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New, interesting products (69)
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Research, regulation, industry reports (177)
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Credit card miscellany (280)
Daniel P. RayI'm Daniel P. Ray, CreditCard.com's editor in chief, and I've been writing and editing consumer-oriented stories about personal finance -- especially debt-related issues -- for about 10 years. Before joining CreditCards.com in July, 2007, I was an editor at Bankrate.com, including six years as editor in chief...
A high-ranking U.S. Senator has filed a bill to create a national usury law that would cap consumer credit rates at 36 percent.
If Internet searches for the terms "cash advance" and "foreclosure" were songs on the Billboard charts, they'd be rising with a bullet.
A consumer group has unveiled the confidential credit card marketing deal Bank of America struck with Florida State University, and it shines a light into the way big universities give up the personal information of students and alumni in exchange for big payoffs.
The transaction processing giant, under pressure from federal and state regulators, dropped a rule that treated PIN-based purchases differently from signature-based debit buys. It means more consumers will zip through drugstore lines.
In an effort to encourage more accurate tax reporting, the IRS would have a chance to look at the revenue that businesses receive through their merchant accounts.
Credit card issuers' marketing practices on college campuses got a raking-over from a congressional subcommittee Thursday, and one witness said it's about to get worse: The agreements between colleges and card companies are under investigation by the New York Attorney General, one witness revealed.
In March 2007, amid fanfare and praise from usual critics, Citi dropped two unpopular credit card practices -- universal default and "any time, any reason" rate hikes. A news report says they're considering bringing them back
Are we in a recession? A newly released research paper from the Philly Fed says that the economic data from the past six recessions strongly resembles the data we see today.
A scary report from KIRO-TV shows how anyone can buy an RFID reader that can be plugged into a USB port of a laptop. Put a credit card within a few inches of the reader and the laptop displays the card owner's name, credit card number and expiration date -- enough data for a thief to go shopping.
If Barack Obama's elected president, he says he'll reform the way credit card issuers increase interest rates. And if that happens, he may end up helping out Sen. John McCain. According to newly released financial disclosure forms, McCain's been paying an eye-popping 25.99 percent on his personal credit card.
Credit card lending standards have tightened sharply this year, according to a federal banking report issued today, and that means credit card offers will be tougher to come by for already cash-strapped consumers.
An ailing economy means emptier mailboxes. Financial service companies -- and especially credit card issuers -- have sharply cut back their direct mail offers according to research released Tuesday.
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.
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.
In Japan, smart cards are in wide use, and are being put to a noble cause -- preventing kids from buying cigarettes.
Delinquencies and charge-offs were up, but not shockingly so, at Bank of America, according to its first quarter results.
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.
The Federal Reserve says the prepaid and gift card industry isn't as big as it thinks.
A new GAO report details the use of charge cards by government employees, and finds that some of them were irresponsible and a lot of them were sloppy about their paperwork. Hmmm. Where have we seen this before?
Sorry, credit cardholders, last night's rate cut was a bailout for investment bankers. Your cut comes tomorrow.
The "Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights" bill got a first hearing in the House Thursday, and it doesn't bode well for an industry that says it needs no additional oversight to have the overseers recount personal tales of how they got stiffed by their credit card issuer.
With Tuesday's launch of the Emerging Credit Score, Experian joins a growing movement to put more of Americans financial lives unders scrutiny, upping the damage to anyone who occasionally misses a rent payment or a utililty bill deadline.
Americans love the convenience of shopping online, but many still get a twinge of nervousness when typing that credit card number into the computer, and those who have the least harbor the most fear.
What's hotter on the market than the "War kittens" credit card? One that will help fans of over-the-air TV keep using their rabbit ears a bit longer.
According to a study released Friday, sadness and overspending tend to go hand-in-tissue-holding-hand.
The task of obtaining a credit card just got tougher for people with marginal credit. That's the key conclusion that can be drawn from January's survey of senior loan officers, released by the Federal Reserve Board Monday.
Two Democratic U.S. senators have signaled in recent days that they have a pro-consumer, activist agenda in store for the credit card industry.
How I became a deadbeat (once removed), and my experience with getting on debt collectors' lists (never removed, no matter how hard you try).
In a surprise move that underscores the depth of recession fears, American central bankers cut a key interest rate by 3/4 of 1 percent.
The Federal Trade Commission, as part of its effort to fight identity theft, wants feedback on one of the newest ID-theft tools -- the credit freeze.
Credit card issuers' reliance on fees edged up another notch in 2007, according to the annual profit/loss estimate put out by respected credit card industry analyst and investment banker R.K. Hammer.
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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.
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