At the end of May 2009, President Obama signed into law the Credit CARD, Act of 2009. The CARD (Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure) Act aims to curb the excesses of the credit card industry by curtailing some of the more noxious credit card practices.

Identity theft is a growing trend worldwide. Millions of people each year have their personal data, bank account information, or credit card numbers stolen, and it sometimes takes months before the theft is discovered.

Most credit cardholders regularly receive credit card convenience checks in the mail. Like every other financial instrument, convenience checks have their use. However, it’s important to evaluate the pros and cons before using convenience checks to make sure you don’t end up paying a lot for a little.

Over the past year, credit card companies have aggressively hiked interest rates and raised penalty fees in an effort to cope with the economic crisis and record defaults by cardholders.