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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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Rewards (23)
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Protecting yourself (113)
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The fine print (36)
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Credit card miscellany (280)
Living with credit
How often do you go shopping with the intent to purchase one item, but end up splurging on a shopping cart full of goods? Think it's because you lack willpower or have a shopping addiction? Actually, Stanford researchers have a name for this phenomenon -- shopping momentum -- and it happens to the best of us.
British banking giant HSBC posted a 21 percent increase in full-year net earnings for 2007, as strength in Asia helped the company overcome sizable impairments charges in its U.S. consumer-finance business.
Wacky Jim Cramer, the TV stock analyst/madman, has incendiary advice for consumers that involves matches and their credit cards.
Impulse shopping with credit cards often leads to wasted money, especially if you neglect to return the items you won't use or don't fit in time. People who feel reassured that they can always sell unwanted items for money on eBay or at stores like Buffalo Exchange or Half Price Books may be in for a surprise. I sure was.
Some small business borrowers look to be among those experiencing lowered credit limits. In a post on The Vest Pocket Consultant, Rosalind Resnick shares the story of small business owner Michelle Wood, whose American Express credit line was slashed by $10,000 because her handbag company, Lil’ Diva Enterprises, was not registered with business information provider Dunn & Bradstreet.
Credit card solicitations in the mail greatly declined in the last quarter of 2007. The mortgage crisis and faltering economy have caused creditors to become more selective in who they target for direct marketing, and have saved trees in the process.
To those who don't think they need credit or don't think their credit matters much, let me prove you wrong. Credit is used in so many facets of life. Having no credit or bad credit isn't that different, since either situation can put a serious damper on more than just your finances.
Think you know what your date wants for Valentine's Day? Discover Card's third annual Valentine's Day Shopping Survey exposes what lovebirds are planning to buy and hoping to receive this Feb. 14. Also, several ways to have an inexpensive celebration.
House Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) today introduced the "Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2008 (H.R. 5244), "comprehensive credit card reform legislation aimed at leveling the playing field between credit card companies and consumers."
An American Express survey was announced this morning revealing that Americans are striving equally for both physical and financial fitness in 2008. Between the obesity epidemic and the credit crunch, I think this is great news.
According to myriad economic experts, our economy is slipping into a recession, or may already be in one. Most of us are feeling the pinch. Here is some of the best advice I've found from fellow bloggers on cutting back during hard times.
Believe it or not, more celebrity credit card drama has unfolded overnight. Sonja Norwood, mother of singer/actress Brandy, filed a lawsuit on Feb. 4 in the L.A. County Superior Court against the Kardashian family for credit card misuse.
Please weigh in with the most wild or ridiculous charges you have ever heard of being put on a corporate credit card. I'll share the best responses in a future posting.
Celebrities often seem otherworldly, immune from the troubles of average citizens. Their lives appear so simple and luxurious. While they make more money in a year than most of us will probably make in our lifetime, they aren't even close to being exempt from everyday problems, especially when it comes to credit cards.
Ahead of Super Bowl XLII on Sunday, let's take a moment to remember some of the greatest moments from games gone by. That's right -- the ads. This being a CreditCards.com blog, join me as I look back fondly (and not-so-fondly) at some of the credit card advertisements from past Super Bowl games.
American Express said its fourth-quarter earnings weakened, due to a previously announced charge of $438 million set aside to cover increased write-offs and delinquencies. Still, AmEx cheered its full-year results, with AmEx CEO Kenneth I. Chenault highlighting strong card spending and applications.
South Dakota's treasury office is on a mission to educate the state's high school students about credit. If only this would catch on...
Credit card issuer Capital One posted a decline in fourth-quarter earnings after taking a provision of approximately $1.9 billion for loan losses. The provision was made up of about $1.3 billion in charge-offs and an allowance build of around $650 million.
Being young and on your own is incredibly liberating, but learning how to budget and get by on an entry-level salary takes practice and restraint. Here are six tips for young adults struggling with financial freedom.
Bank of America announced that its fourth-quarter net income tumbled amid problems in the capital markets and a slowdown in the U.S. economy. Among the main reasons for the earnings decline, BofA said its provision expense rose $1.74 billion, "largely due to a $1.33 billion addition to the reserve for credit losses." Additionally, net charge-offs (loans the bank thinks it will be unable to collect) increased to 0.91% from 0.82% a year earlier.
Washington Mutual announced late yesterday that it suffered a fourth-quarter net loss, stemming from trouble in the housing market, and warned that it anticipates a surge in credit card losses for 2008
What are you giving up for Lent? The Methodist Church of Britain urges followers to give up credit cards.
In the latest earnings announcements from major U.S. credit card issuers, both J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo said their net income declined in the fourth quarter, even as both banks appeared to avoid the full impact of the subprime meltdown.
Citigroup reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $9.83 billion on subprime-related writedowns and a spike in U.S. consumer credit costs.
American Express sounded a serious warning for the payment card industry yesterday, acknowledging that its cardholders both reduced their spending and were less able to pay their credit card bills in the final month of 2007.
It looks like the subprime mortgage debacle has begun to spill over to credit cards, with issuer Capital One slashing its earnings outlook amid rising credit card delinquencies.
Consumers relied heavily on credit cards to drive their spending in the run-up to the holiday season, according to recently published consumer credit statistics from the Federal Reserve.
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.
Perhaps you have always loved every gift you have ever been given. But more likely, you realize that sometimes good intentions aren't enough for you to overlook how truly horrendous that sweater from Cousin Gertrude looks when you put it on. With the surge in gift card giving, that sweater you can't stand may be replaced by a piece of plastic from a store you wouldn't be caught dead shopping in.
Financial Peace University comes highly recommended for those who still have some major learning to do about personal finance.
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Are you a credit card power user? Or have you spent your way into a lousy credit score? We'll give you tips, tricks, examples of smart and not-so-smart credit card uses and more.
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