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credit cards

National credit card rate averages

Here's a look at the state of interest rates on five common consumer banking products and the latest rates from Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large banks and thrifts conducted May 6, 2009.

Credit Cards

Rates: 13.56 percent (standard fixed); 10.75 percent (standard variable)

For the third week straight, the average fixed and variable interest rate on most credit card offers remained unchanged. Variable-rate cards retained an average annual percentage rate of 10.78 percent, and fixed-rate cards kept to 12.33 percent.

The mean standard fixed rate again came to 13.56 percent, and standard variable cards charged 10.75 percent for the third consecutive week.

Card issuers continue to scale back credit limits. According to the Federal Reserve Board's latest quarterly survey of senior loan officers, about 50 percent of U.S. banks slashed credit limits for existing cardholders over the preceding three months, up from 35 percent in January. The number of banks that reduced card limits for either new or existing borrowers jumped from 45 percent to 65 percent in April.

You can find your best credit card deal -- by type -- at Bankrate's interactive tool.

-- Leslie McFadden

 

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