Managing The Risk Of Online Shopping
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, March 11, 2010]
The trend of shopping online is on an upswing, as evidenced by the popularity of Cyber Monday. A survey from BIGresearch done for Shop.org showed that there were 11.5 million more Americans, who planned to go online to shop during Cyber Monday compared to last year.

Former Red Cross Employee Charged With Credit Card Fraud
[12:00:00 AM Wednesday, March 10, 2010]
Mary Ann Bandarek, 28, of St. Paul, a former staff of American Red Cross North Central Blood Services is facing charges of
credit card fraud for unauthorized purchases. Bandarek who previously worked for American Red Cross as an HR officer, was given a credit card by her company to be strictly used for official transactions. However, she is now facing allegations of using the credit card to pay for expenses unrelated to what it was originally designed for.

Twitter's Square - Solution For Small Business Owners
[12:00:00 AM Sunday, March 07, 2010]
Twitter founder and creator, Jack Dorsey, is venturing into another lucrative business space -
credit card payment devices. Dorsey's company recently launched a prototype of a small credit card reading device called Square that users can plug into their iPhones or iPod touch. This pocket size gadget can scan
credit cards and process payments. Buyers, on the other hand, can receive receipts through email or text.

Credit CARD Act Endorses Financial Literacy
[12:00:00 AM Saturday, March 06, 2010]
The Credit CARD which will be fully implemented next year contains provisions that provide consumers access to financial literacy education. Now more than ever, with bankruptcy cases and foreclosure levels rising, people need to be informed and educated on the consequences of bad credit habits.

Inactivity Fees Threaten Credit Account Management
[12:00:00 AM Friday, March 05, 2010]
Credit card holders will soon face charges for their card whether they use it or not. This is in line with the inactivity fees that are being tried out by Fifth Third Bancorp since June.

Luster Releases Software For Analysis Of Credit Reports
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, March 04, 2010]
Luster has made its way to releasing a software tasked to help in people's charge of reviewing credit reports. In this application, clients can easily find certain inaccuracies and other unverifiable information that may affect their credit scores.

Senator Calls For Proper Disclosure Of Frequent Flier Programs
[12:00:00 AM Sunday, February 28, 2010]
Customers of frequent flier programs need not worry anymore as Senator Charles Schumer, calls for the review of any kind of deceptive business practice. This is in line with the growing number of cases in terms of the cancellation of miles without properly alerting customers.

Cash Back Cards Are Things Of The Past Already
[12:00:00 AM Saturday, February 27, 2010]
More and more financial companies are turning their back from cash back cards also known as cash reversal cards. From the 43 cards that had this reward program in 2005, it has dropped to only 13 this year. Some of the companies have invested into giving other kinds of programs to their customers.

Holidays Offer Clear Glimpse of Consumer Attitudes Towards Credit
[12:00:00 AM Friday, February 26, 2010]
For
credit card companies, the holidays opened with Black Friday, a time of increased purchases from consumers. The holiday season is a time when card companies see an increased number of credit card transactions as American consumers buy presents for their loved ones and for themselves. The holidays this year offer a crucial glimpse to credit card companies of consumer attitudes towards credit.

Consumers Turning To Cash for Holiday Shopping
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, February 25, 2010]
According to the Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions survey made by the National Retail Federation, American consumers are planning to avoid
credit cards for their holiday purchases and use cash, debit cards or check cards instead.

US Court of Appeals Upholds Trial Court Decision In Favour Of VISA
[12:00:00 AM Wednesday, February 24, 2010]
A US Courts of Appeal judge affirmed the earlier ruling of a US trial court that
visa card acted appropriately when it reversed the fund transfer it had made to a merchant affiliate. It also junked appeals of the said merchant, ANS, saying that the contract they and VISA signed stipulated that Visa can reclaim any fund transfer on behalf of the company if it finds any fraudulent activity in a given transaction.

Bank of America Expects Write-offs Peak
[12:00:00 AM Monday, February 22, 2010]
Major credit card company, Bank of America is expecting write-offs to reach its peak this quarter. That is, if unemployment rates go as forecasted. If it goes higher, the company may have to rethink its expectations.

American Consumer Behavior Breaking Credit Card Industry's Cyclical Trends
[12:00:00 AM Saturday, February 20, 2010]
The
credit card industry has traditionally held on to the expectation that a credit card trend, especially among credit card holders is cyclical. Meaning, credit card holders often behave predictably and their behavior varies depending on the season. Credit card companies have relied on this cyclical behavior, and in fact, these cyclical changes often form the metric by which companies measure their liquidity inflow for a given year. This year, however, American consumers are breaking this trend and exhibiting unexpected and surprising behavior.

JP Morgan Chase Bank Decides To Drop Its Mandatory Arbitration Clause
[12:00:00 AM Friday, February 19, 2010]
JP Morgan Chase Bank, the country's second largest bank announced recently that it is no longer requiring cardholders to seek relief through arbitration for
credit card related disputes. Arbitration has long been under fire from critics who believe that it does not serve cardholders' best interests and are biased to credit card issuers.

Louisiana Restaurant Owners About To File Charges against Radiant Systems
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, February 18, 2010]
A group of Louisiana restaurant owners will be filing a case against a
credit card payment system manufacturer, Radiant Systems of Alpharetta for creating a system that makes for access of credit card information stored in their devices' software. The system is said to be easily hacked and that classified credit card information can easily be retrieved.

Fraudulent Credit Help Calls On the Rise in Missouri
[12:00:00 AM Tuesday, February 16, 2010]
Recently, a Park Hills resident has been getting plenty of phone calls from people informing him that they could help him reduce his credit interest rates. Steve just ignored the first few calls he received, sensing that it was a fraud or scam. However, the calls persisted and so one day he decided to dig in a litter deeper. One day, he waited for a suspicious credit help call and soon enough had one calling him. The guy on the other line informed him that he can help him lower his
credit card interest rates. Steve played along and acted interested and probed further. At this juncture, the guy on the other line turned the phone over to a lady who took over for him. She began to explain that she knows a few tricks that would help Steve slash his credit card rates. She continued that they have records to prove that Steve owned Master and Visa cards. Steve feigned owning those types of credit cards, but the lady on the other line insisted that he has them in possession. Steve lets his wife take care of his credit card bills and she keeps records of all his statements.

American Express Will Confiscate Loyalty Points for Late Payments
[12:00:00 AM Monday, February 15, 2010]
A new policy drafted by American Express is expected to generate strong criticisms again from cardholders. The credit issuer recently sent out notices to its cardholders that it would confiscate loyalty points if they miss or are late on a payment. This current shift in policy affects American Express' co-brand partners like Delta Air, Hilton Hotels and Starwood Hotels. The program will take effect on January of next year.

Merchants Bat for Lower Transaction Charges
[12:00:00 AM Sunday, February 14, 2010]
Business owners and merchants are up in arms in what they perceive as extremely prohibitive transaction charges that
credit card companies impose on them. For every purchase made using a credit card, retailers are charged a percentage, normally around 2%-3% as transaction fees by credit issuers. For a lot of businessmen at the end of the day, it tallies as a big expense, sometimes a close second to their largest expense which is staff salaries. Gas retailers for example are complaining that in years when gas prices really shot up, card issuers made more money than them. They are now turning to Congress to help them ease this burden off of their shoulders. They are asking legislators to come up with bills that would put a cap on how much credit card companies charge retailers. In other countries such as Australia and much of Europe, where transaction charges are regulated, fees are six times lower than what US credit companies charge.

Salvation Army Adds Two More Credit Card Machines
[12:00:00 AM Saturday, February 13, 2010]
In a recent development, Salvation Army decided to add two more
credit card reading machines to accommodate donation givers who do not carry cash with them. The charitable organization decided to lease two hand-held card reading gadgets and have started deploying readers to some key areas.

Evanston Motorists Can Now Pay Parking Fees Using Credit Cards
[12:00:00 AM Friday, February 12, 2010]
Evanston residents will now have a more convenient way of paying parking fees. Last week, the City of Evanston installed new parking meters that can accept
credit card payments. The 41 parking meters are strategically placed in downtown areas and will have an initial run of 90-days. During this trial period, city officials would assess the public's reception to this new payment scheme. They will also be testing the machines' performance in severe winter conditions. Examples of mechanical problems that may arise during extreme cold weather are batteries going dead and ice buildup.

GAO Said Proposed Swipe Fee Cut May Hurt Consumers
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, February 11, 2010]
A recent proposal by lawmakers to reduce fees being charged by card issuers to merchants could actually be counterproductive and could lead to higher costs for consumers. The Government Accountability Office agrees that merchants would stand to benefit from this proposed measure and may even pass off savings to consumers. On the other hand, banks whose bottom-line will be affected by lower interchange revenues may compensate the dip in profits by increasing fees charged to cardholders.

Spotlight: People On Plastic Show Off Unethical Manner
[12:00:00 AM Wednesday, February 10, 2010]
Credit cards have been an essential part of almost everyone's lifestyle. Because of this, most people have been very used to plastic to the point of neglecting that there are still credit etiquettes that need to be observed. An expert of business etiquette and writer of "Manners that Sell," Lydia Ramsey, tackles bad plastic manners that need to be noted and refined by most card holders today.

Credit Rate Hike Amendment Put on Hold
[12:00:00 AM Tuesday, February 09, 2010]
Credit card companies scored a win over consumers who are lobbying against recent hikes on credit card interest rates, with Republican Senators blocking the passage of an amendment that will put a freeze on interest rate increases. On a move that is expected to infuriate the already battered consumers, Senate Republicans refused to sign the proposed legislation that will order
credit card companies to stop raising credit card fees. With Republicans unwilling to cooperate, there is little chance that this new bill would see the light of day.

Citibank Launches Spend More Pay Less Program
[12:00:00 AM Sunday, February 07, 2010]
Citibank is launching a new spending scheme for its
credit card holders, giving them an opportunity to avoid high interest rate charges by using their cards more. Under this said program, Citibank credit card users would need to meet a monthly spending requirement (up to $750 a month) to qualify for rebates on interest fees. Customers who qualify can enjoy partial or total rebates off of their total monthly interest charges. Another requirement for this program is that customers need to pay their monthly card bills on time.

Credit Card For Small Business Owners
[12:00:00 AM Friday, February 05, 2010]
Credit cards for small business owners need to be considered well. A report published in Business Week states that the choice of small entrepreneurs when deciding for their card should primarily depend on their needs - if they prefer to make a monthly full payment or transfer a balance.

Debt Consolidation And Its Ideal Beneficiaries
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, February 04, 2010]
An American can hold an average number of eight
credit cards in total. Because it is obviously hard enough for someone to remember the monthly due dates indicated in eight bills, credit debt consolidation has been designed to aid this trouble.

Credit Card Debt on the Rise
[12:00:00 AM Wednesday, February 03, 2010]
Credit card companies as of late have started to hike interest rates at a furious pace leaving millions of Americans frustrated and upset with rising credit card bearing costs. Banks imposed fee increases despite of the fact that millions of Americans are facing economic hardship, with a number even being pushed to declaring bankruptcy.

Avoiding Bad Credit Through The Use Of New Credit Repair Software Of Luster
[12:00:00 AM Tuesday, February 02, 2010]
Luster, a provider of credit repair solutions based in Dallas, has just recently launched its new credit repair software that offers consumers the vital tools to dispute unverifiable and inaccurate information included on credit reports. The manufacturer claims that this credit repair software will significantly help consumers improve their scores effectively, legally, and privately.

Exposing The Dangers Brought By Student Credit Cards Among The Young Ones
[12:00:00 AM Monday, February 01, 2010]
Student credit cards are well acclaimed to provide students with many advantages. By having credit, students will not only have a quick and easy access to cash, but also earn rewards or cash back on their expenditures. In addition, having credit also helps students build
good credit histories that will be advantageous when they apply for loans to buy a house or car in the future.

Save Money With Credit Cards: Detailing The Schemes
[12:00:00 AM Sunday, January 31, 2010]
Basically,
credit cards are designed to bring convenience to card holders. These plastic cards generally work to give off convenience by eliminating the need to carry cash. However, if they are used irresponsibly, credit cards can also lead to financial breakdown.

Attorney General Running After Fake Debt Relief Companies
[12:00:00 AM Saturday, January 30, 2010]
Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, is hitting hard at
credit card scammers, filing lawsuits left and right, pursuing illegitimate companies, intent on bringing predators to justice. In May, Madigan sued SDS West Corporation, a credit help agency based in Aliso Viejo, California and partner of Nationwide Support Services for engaging in dubious and deceptive business practices, duping customers into believing that they have the tools to help them permanently solve their credit problems. However, it was all empty promises, with customers ending up in much worse financial distress than when they started. They were made to pay excessive fees and charges that did little to alleviate their credit woes.

Scientists Have Reportedly Discovered the Credit Debt Gene
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, January 28, 2010]
Scientists can now offer answers to people who seems to be chronically beset by debt. A recent study revealed that financial delinquency can be caused by a genetic defect or having excessive amounts of a particular gene.

Identity Theft on the Rise as Economic Conditions Worsen
[12:00:00 AM Wednesday, January 27, 2010]
Insurance company, Travelers, reported a surge in identity theft cases last year as economic conditions worsened. However, strategies of identity thieves seem to lack ingenuity and sophistication as a lot of identity theft cases were an offshoot of good old fashioned pick pocketing, purse snatching, and laptop grabbing.

Former Boyfriend of Mayor Charged for Using Charity Gift Cards Testifies in Court
[12:00:00 AM Tuesday, January 26, 2010]
Edward Anthony, boyfriend of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, finally has taken the witness stand to shed light on Dixon's alleged misuse of gift cards meant for charity. This came in the heels of her defense team's decision to remove ex-boyfriend Ronald Lipscomb from the defense line-up. It was Lipscomb who allegedly gave Dixon the gift cards.

Credit Card Fees Steadily Rising
[12:00:00 AM Monday, January 25, 2010]
Credit card interest rates continue to increase, and with the way things are going, it seems that it will continue on this path for a while. According to a research conducted by CreditCards.com, new card owners are getting hit with annual percentage rates for their category now at a high, 12.79%. However, this has been the case for some time now in almost all market categories as banks are trying to squeeze more profits at the expense of customers, since economic conditions show no signs of improving in the short term.

Small Business Owners Again Left Out in Credit CARD Act
[12:00:00 AM Sunday, January 24, 2010]
Small business card holders have been left out once again, with their group's exclusion from the Credit CARD Act. Small enterprise supporters were disappointed and dismayed with the apparent lack of interest shown by legislators in promoting small business owners' welfare. Lawmakers have again failed to act on issues confronting small scale business card owners and from the looks of it, would not be changing their sentiments any time soon.

Walmart Offering Gift Check for BlackBerry Phone Buyers
[12:00:00 AM Saturday, January 23, 2010]
If you are on the lookout for a hip phone, you may look at high-end Finnish made phones, Japanese mobile phones, or good-old fashioned American made phones like iPhone and BlackBerry. The last two being the current toasts of tech geeks, are devices that offer a lot of cutting edge features and functionality. President Barack Obama, owns a BlackBerry, the wife of Bill Gates wants an iPhone - but for obvious reasons her husband will not allow her to.

Credit Card Rates Going through the Roof
[12:00:00 AM Friday, January 22, 2010]
More customers lately have been getting notices from credit card companies telling them that new rate hikes will be applied. Some experts say that with the way things are going, it is not going to be unlikely if in the near future a lot of people will abandon the idea of using
credit cards altogether.

Credit Card Companies Cancelling Cards Without Giving Notice to Clients
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, January 21, 2010]
One time when Rick Niles, a resident of Laurel, MD. Was on his way home from work, he stopped by a gas station to fill up. He usually pays using his Shell Citi
credit card so when he was informed by an attendant that the card will not go through he was surprised. He thought to himself maybe there was a problem with the station's card machine or it is those occasions where cards for no apparent reason do not work.

Plastic Payment Now Being Accepted by Salvation Army
[12:00:00 AM Wednesday, January 20, 2010]
A lot of Americans prefer to use non-cash methods of payment such as
credit cards and debit cards for transactions and purchases. People pay their bills using their checking accounts, they shop using their credit cards and debit cards, and so on and so forth. Due to the convenience that it offers to users, people are finding less and less incentive to carry cash with them.

Continental Airlines Launches Online Auction for Frequent Flyers
[12:00:00 AM Tuesday, January 19, 2010]
Lucky One Pass frequent flyer members will be given a chance by Continental Airlines to visit the majestic eight wonders of the world using their miles. Selected frequent flyer members will be asked to participate in an online auction using their miles to get a chance to win a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some of the world's most beautiful man-made infrastructures.

CARD Act Covers Gift Cards
[12:00:00 AM Monday, January 18, 2010]
The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act or CARD Act, a bill slated to take effect on February 22, 2010 covers not just policies and regulations related to credit cards, but also to other instruments such as gift cards.

Banks Need Permission from Consumers for Overdraft Charges
[12:00:00 AM Sunday, January 17, 2010]
The government has now instituted measures that would protect consumers from being charged overdraft fees by banks. ATM and debit cardholders now have to first give permission to banks before they can be assessed for overdraft charges. Banks in recent times have introduced a number of fees to consumers, many of which are thought to be unnecessary and unjust.

American Express Card Usage Up in October
[12:00:00 AM Saturday, January 16, 2010]
American Express has reason to celebrate in today's otherwise gloomy environment, reporting an increase in
credit card usage during the past month, the start of this fourth quarter. It was the first time ever this year that the company saw an increase in credit use and sees it as a good sign of growing consumer or cardholder confidence. Along with jobs starting to emerge again, more and more people are spending. Going into this holiday season, credit use numbers showed an ominous start.

Store Credit Cards - More Than Meets the Eye
[12:00:00 AM Friday, January 15, 2010]
Retailers are expecting a grim holiday scenario what with people losing jobs, the economy contracting, and companies not opening up new jobs. Card owners and consumers have to dig deep in their arsenal to mitigate dismal forecasts and one product that they are hoping to cash in on is store credit cards.

Small Business Card Company Folds Up
[12:00:00 AM Wednesday, January 13, 2010]
Another sad news on the business front, with a once mighty corporation falling down on its knees under the weight of insolvency. Advanta, a company specializing on small
business credit cards have filed bankruptcy this month, citing insufficient cash flow as a major reason. The company also listed 14 of its affiliates in bankruptcy filing, but decided against including its banking unit, Avanta Bank. More than half of the company's customers have defaulted on their payments this year and it was no longer viable for the company to go on with its operations.

Research Study Shows Card Companies Ripping Off Small Businesses and Consumers
[12:00:00 AM Monday, January 11, 2010]
Consumers for Competitive Choice (C4CC) a US organization composed of concerned consumers and small business owners that promote the concept of a consumer-centric economy, embarked on a nationwide study named "The Credit Card Con", that looked into the practices and business habits of credit card companies.

Wise Shopping Tips for Holiday Buyers
[12:00:00 AM Sunday, January 10, 2010]
According to surveys, despite poor economic conditions many
credit card bearing Americans would still be trooping to stores and shopping centers during the holiday season which would officially begin on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Blumenthal Criticizes Banks For Massive Rate Hikes
[12:00:00 AM Saturday, January 09, 2010]
Last May, the government created the Credit CARD Act, a set of legislation regulating the practices of the credit card industry so as to protect credit card holders from abusive interest rates and fees. However, since the passage of the act, credit card companies have drastically increased their interest rates and fees well ahead of the scheduled activation of the act which is on February 22 of next year, 2010.

Settle Credit Card Debt for Good with Debt Settlement Companies
[12:00:00 AM Friday, January 08, 2010]
In these tough times, a growing number of people are starting to turn to settlement options to help them with their
credit card debt woes. Because a lot of companies are laying off people, money has been tight in many households with many falling to heavy debt; leaving people no choice, but to seek debt relief. These dire situations were hardly observed during healthy economic conditions when jobs were abundant.

Lay away Plans Making a Comeback
[12:00:00 AM Thursday, January 07, 2010]
Times are hard with many people experiencing difficulties making ends meet. With the holiday season in full bloom, people are expecting a sharp spike in expenses like new clothing, food, and gift ideas. However, less and less consumers are turning to
credit cards these days, afraid that they might be stuck with bills they will not be able to settle right away.

House Proposes Credit CARD Act Enforcement Date Be Moved
[12:00:00 AM Tuesday, January 05, 2010]
In response to a recent upswing of activities in the
credit card industry, the US House of Representatives decided to revise the effective date of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act. Congress is now pushing the Credit CARD Act to be implemented earlier than its original date of 2010.

Stopping Credit Card Fraud with this Innovative Device
[12:00:00 AM Monday, January 04, 2010]
Shopping online is already starting to look mainstream, but still many people feel uneasy doing their shopping over the Internet and disclosing highly classified information to sites. Some are worried that their credit information will be accessed by hackers, which they could then use to make unauthorized purchases.

Feds Announces New Rules on Overdraft Programs
[12:00:00 AM Friday, January 01, 2010]
Federal Reserve has announced new rules that ban banks and other financial institutions to sign up its debit card consumers to overdraft programs and charge them with overdrawn fees without the latter's permissions.

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