Credit Cards Blog

If you’re a “fan,” “friend” or “follower” of a credit card company or brand on a social networking service, you’re not alone. In fact, some 25 percent of people who have a credit card have made such a connection, according to a survey by Synergistics Research, an Atlanta-based marketing research firm. Perhaps not surprisingly, though,

Citigroup has released some additional information about the recent attack on its online credit card account management system, but the update sounds a defensive note and leaves many questions unanswered. In a letter to customers posted on its website, Citi said it took “immediate action to rectify the situation,” discovered May 10 during routine monitoring

The Association of Credit and Collections Professionals, known as ACA International, has introduced a “blueprint” of policy initiatives that the group says would update the debt collection industry’s antiquated practices. Consumers who’ve missed one or more credit card payments may be interested. A key goal, mentioned repeatedly in the group’s press statement, is the removal

Not many companies actually pay people to use their services. But credit card issuers are so eager — or desperate — to sign up new customers that they’re willing to do exactly that. In fact, upfront cash inducements are becoming the “enticement of choice” on new credit card offers, according to Mintel Comperemedia, a direct

It’s a dirty little open secret that credit card issuers have offered millions of so-called “business” credit cards to consumers in an attempt to skirt new federal consumer protection laws that don’t apply to these cards. In an effort to change that, four U.S. senators this week sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben

Consumers who use credit cards may soon receive legitimate automated messages about suspicious-seeming activity, thanks — if that’s the right word —  to a new partnership between FICO and Adeptra. Together, the two companies have introduced an automated fraud detection and verification service that’s designed to flag and verify suspicious credit card transactions, and then contact

A new study has found that the data in consumers’ credit reports is “high quality” and presents “little likelihood” of any adverse material effect on consumers. The accuracy of this data is important because it affects whether consumers are offered credit cards and other financial products, and if so, on what terms. The findings may

First Sony, and now Citi. In a statement this week, Citigroup said that some of its credit card customers’ personal data was stolen by hackers, who broke into the company’s online account system. The statement came in response to news reports of a breach that media outlets said occurred last month. The one-paragraph statement, distributed

Driver’s license, move over. Debt is now the symbol of a young person’s adult empowerment, according to a study by three academic researchers. Rather than feeling burdened, young adults, aged 18 to 27, actually had more self-esteem and a greater sense of control over their own lives due to credit card and college loan debts.

More consumers are reducing their credit card debt and staying current on their credit card payments, judging by a new analysis of TransUnion credit records. The average total debt per user dropped $286, or 5.8 percent, to $4,679 in the first quarter of 2011 from $4,965 in the fourth quarter of 2010. The most recent