Credit Cards
- 13.36% (all fixed)
- 14.44% (all variable)
Here's a look at the state of credit card rates from Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large banks and thrifts conducted March 2, 2011.
Average interest rates for purchases on credit cards haven't changed in weeks. The average variable rate stands at 14.44 percent for the third week in a row and the mean fixed rate remains at 13.36 percent for the ninth consecutive week.
On March 1, the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Trade Commission proposed amendments to existing risk-based pricing rules to reflect the credit score disclosure requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which takes effect July 21, 2011. The proposed amendments would require credit card issuers and other lenders to disclose a credit score, along with contextual information, to consumers "if a credit score of the consumer is used in setting the material terms of credit." Bankrate's Credit Cards blog goes into more detail about the proposed rules.
Bankrate.com makes it easier to find cash-back credit cards and low-rate cards. You can search by issuer, card type or credit score.
-- Leslie McFadden