Word: credit-card
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...year. But all that misses a looming reality. American consumers, whose overspending largely got us into this mess, are still under massive pressure, owing to the record debt they racked up during the boom years. People are unwinding those burdensome obligations - from mortgages to car loans to credit-card debt - as fast as they can, but the process is sure to take years, and until it is complete, the economy can't fully bounce back. "Even though we're probably past the worst in the business cycle and probably even in the bear market, we're talking about something much...
...June 4 report from Fitch Ratings provides another glimmer of stability. The company's measure of credit-card late payments fell in May, after four straight months of record highs. The rate, though, was still 40% higher than a year before, and credit-card charge-offs which happen when a lender gives up on ever being repaid did continue to rise. Fitch analysts have anticipated that eventually one out of every ten dollars in credit-card debt will be written off this way, although the drop in delinquencies may indicate that people are getting a handle on their finances more...
...alter habits. Then Acxiom digs into it own database, one of the most formidable collections of consumer data in the world. (A Fortune magazine headline once read, "Never Heard of Acxiom? Chances Are It's Heard of You.") Acxiom tracks some 128 million households, compiling data on everything from credit-card transactions to newspaper subscriptions. Some 1,500 data fields go into the computer model, and out comes an opinion about who you are and what you're likely to do with your money. (See 10 things to buy during the recession...
...Washington Congress Takes a Swipe at Credit-Card Issuers The U.S. House and Senate have approved a major reform of the credit-card industry, limiting unpopular practices like abruptly hiking interest rates, issuing confusing agreements and peddling cards to minors. The banking industry warned that the bill, which would take effect in early 2010, could lead to more rejected credit applications and the return of annual fees...
Americans' Credit-Card Debt...