Here's a look at the state of credit card rates from Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large banks and thrifts conducted May 26, 2010.
Credit Cards
Rates: 13.7 percent (all fixed); 14.13 percent (all variable)
The variable-rate average for all credit cards moved up 9 basis points this week to 14.13 percent, while the average fixed rate kept to 13.7 percent for the 10th consecutive week. Two issuers increased the margin for purchases, which drove the interest rates higher on affected cards. The margin is the number of percentage points added to the index to calculate a variable interest rate.
On Monday, the Federal Reserve Board rolled out a searchable database of credit card agreements from issuers required under the Credit CARD Act of 2009 to post their agreements online. It allows you to search by issuer and keyword, such as "annual fee" or "interest rate." The site returns all agreements that match that term. Yet the search results merely provide a list of card agreements by issuer, not by card, along with links to view entire agreements. In addition, search results may not return card agreements from issuers that have fewer than 10,000 accounts.
Bankrate.com makes it easier to find low-rate credit cards and credit cards with rewards. You can search by issuer, card type or credit score.
-- Leslie McFadden