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BofA Tricks People Into Paying the Dead's Bills

Bank accused of shady practices in collecting cash from bereaved relatives

(Newser) - Bank of America has been misleading customers into believing they have to pay off the credit card bills of dead relatives, TPM reports. One customer was outraged when a bank rep tried to first trick, and then guilt-trip him into paying his dead mother's bills. A former rep for the...

Credit Card Processor Bares Massive Hacker Breach

Sophisticated hackers nab vast amounts credit card data

(Newser) - A credit card payment processor has disclosed a data breach that experts believe could be the biggest ever and may be putting millions of consumers at risk of ripoffs, the Washington Post reports. Heartland Payment Systems, which handles 100 million transactions from 250,000 businesses every month, believes malicious software...

Smarting, Credit Card Companies Cut Rewards

That airline ticket won't be so easily obtained in recession

(Newser) - Smarting from the sour economy, many credit-card companies are cutting back on rewards programs born out of 1980s excesses, USA Today reports. The cutbacks are akin to moves made by the airline industry last year as fuel prices skyrocketed. “You’re going to see more and more of the...

$173B Later, Taxpayers Still Can't Get a Loan
$173B Later, Taxpayers
Still Can't Get a Loan
ANALYSIS
Jan 6, 2009 10:09 AM CST

$173B Later, Taxpayers Still Can't Get a Loan

Consumer credit remains frozen, even at banks flush with bailout funds

(Newser) - Though US taxpayers own $172.5 billion of shares and warrants in 208 financial institutions, most of them still can’t get a loan. Interbank lending rates have fallen since TARP funds have been paid out, but consumer lending remains tight and average credit card rates are virtually unchanged from...

Feds Overhaul Credit Card Rules
 Feds Overhaul
 Credit Card Rules 
Dec 18, 2008 11:53 AM CST

Feds Overhaul Credit Card Rules

New rules will tighten interest rates, could cost issuers $10B in revenue

(Newser) - Credit card companies will be forbidden from raising interest rates on existing debt after major changes to federal regulations OK'd today go into effect, USA Today reports. Starting in July 2010, the new rules will also restrict issuers' ability to cherry-pick higher-interest parts of balances to pay down first, and...

Fed Cut Won't Translate Into Much for Consumers ... Yet

Its plans to buy more debt may unfreeze market in '09, but consumer rates stuck for now

(Newser) - Consumers hoping for lower interest rates on credit cards, car loans, and mortgages after the Federal Reserve dropped a key interest rate to near 0% yesterday aren’t likely to get a break soon, reports MarketWatch. But loans could be easier to get once the Fed’s other actions—buying...

Fed Close to OK'ing Credit Card Relief

Thursday vote may ban surprise interest rate hikes, fees

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve is poised to hand credit card companies a long-awaited blow this week, Reuters reports. A vote on Thursday is expected to approve 1,000 pages of consumer protections, including bans on surprise rate hikes and fees. Companies say the changes will force higher rates, but with Democrats...

Send That Online Pal an Off-Line Drink

'Give Real' allows users to give credits for bars, restaurants

(Newser) - For those who are sick of shelling out to send Facebook friends cupcake icons and virtual champagne bottles for occasions, the startup Give Real has the answer. Through their site (or via a Facebook app), you can buy a friend credits redeemable at nearly any bar or restaurant in America....

As Economy Tanks, Will Plastic Fade?

Debit, layaways tempt as consumers watch wallets

(Newser) - Will today’s wallet-watching leave a permanent dent in America’s beloved plastic? Likely to write off $45 billion this year, with billions more at stake, credit-card lenders are tightening rules and raising fees, the New York Times reports. “People are going to have to live within their means,...

Consumers May See 45% Cut in Available Credit

Lower credit-card limits are coming just as job losses soar

(Newser) - Americans already struggling with tight credit are in for another blow: banks may cut available credit card lines up to 45% over the next 18 months, reducing available credit by some $2 trillion, reports Reuters. Home equity and credit card limits already are lower than in the second quarter, an...

Cash Makes a Comeback
 Cash Makes a Comeback 
Nov 24, 2008 2:15 AM CST

Cash Makes a Comeback

But cash isn't king for retailers, who'll likely see bigger drop in sales

(Newser) - Americans are reverting to cash for purchases in increasing numbers, according to top retailers Wal-Mart, Target and JC Penney. The shift away from credit is expected to further reduce spending by consumers—who will be limited to cash-on-hand purchases—not just during the holiday season, but during what could be...

Ways to Cut Your Bills Down to Size

Usual belt-tightening suspects abound: Eat at home, cut out luxuries, get a second job

(Newser) - Spendthrift Americans from all rungs of the income ladder are taking a page from Scrooge these days, adopting new, cash-lite strategies to get through hard times, USA Today notes. They're managing to save by:
  • Hocking whatever's collecting dust in their closets: The average household has $3,200 worth of
...

Crisis Looms for Credit Cards
 Crisis Looms for Credit Cards 
ANALYSIS
Nov 14, 2008 3:10 PM CST

Crisis Looms for Credit Cards

Soaring defaults could fell normally resilient industry

(Newser) - Credit cards may be the next industry to be pummeled by the financial crisis, Time reports. The charge-off rate—money that lenders don't think they'll collect—is set to hit 10% in 2009. That's double the rate of the last decade and amounts to $96 billion in unpaid debt. Typically...

Citi to Lay Off 10,000, Raise Credit Card Rates

Banking behemoth will shed 10,000 as it grasps for positive cash flow

(Newser) - Citigroup, seeking profitability after suffering net losses of $20 billion over the past year, is laying off at least 10,000 employees worldwide and raising rates on some credit card holders, the Wall Street Journal reports. Officials were told to trim employee compensation budgets by 25%, allowing managers to minimize...

Feds Block Online Gambling
 Feds Block Online Gambling 
Nov 13, 2008 2:08 AM CST

Feds Block Online Gambling

New rule stops banks, credit card companies from processing bets

(Newser) - The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve will effectively outlaw most forms of online gambling with new rules that bar banks and credit card companies from processing transactions related to internet betting. The banking and gaming industry and House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank oppose the new rules, reports the Wall ...

Wal-Mart May Launch Own Credit Card

Retailer in talks; low rates, few fees could rattle lending industry

(Newser) - Wal-Mart sees an opening in the consumer credit market and is trying to start up its own credit-card operation, BusinessWeek reports. The retail giant is in talks with a veteran financial services firm to launch a card with low interest rates and few fees. It's not clear how far along...

Diamond-Inlaid Mastercard? 'I Like!'

Company readies lavish gold card for rich Kazakhstanis

(Newser) - MasterCard hopes that a worldwide recession won't stop shoppers from toting around a gold-encrusted, diamond-inlaid credit card, the Financial Times reports. Later this month, the company will issue VIP customers in Kazakhstan the "Diamond" card—which comes with a personal manager, is trimmed with gold, has a 0....

As Debit Cards Catch Credit, Banks Cash In

Consumers see way to limit spending; banks adjust fee tactics

(Newser) - Credit is no longer the king of cards, Business Week reports. As banks get stingy with credit and consumers look for ways to reel in their "charge it" ways, more and more are turning to debit cards—so many, in fact, that Visa projects debit spending could exceed credit...

AmEx Will Lay Off 7K
 AmEx Will Lay Off 7K 
Oct 30, 2008 12:26 PM CDT

AmEx Will Lay Off 7K

Pay increases, hiring halted to prop up credit-card giant's savings

(Newser) - Noting that even wealthy Americans are struggling financially, American Express announced today it will cut 10% of its workforce, halt executive pay increases, and freeze new hires. The creditor to the elite will charge $440 million against fourth-quarter results to cover restructuring after 7,000 jobs are cut across all...

Lenders Yank Credit Cards as Economy Sours

Plastic crisis comes hot on the heels of mortgage crisis

(Newser) - The flattening economy is putting the squeeze on credit card lending just when consumers can least afford it, the New York Times reports. Lenders are putting the brakes on new credit card offers and reining in lines of spending for existing holders, even those with good credit records. The flood...

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