By Eva Norlyk Smith, Ph.D.
Credit card reform has taken much flak for giving card issuers plenty of time to take measures to protect themselves against some of the more important provisions of the new law. Card issuers have aggressively hiked interest rates in advance of the February 22 deadline for new rules that limit interest [...]

Like an emergency medical assistance team rushing a dying patient to the hospital before the last vital signs fade away, members of Congress are pushing to move up the deadline for the enactment of the key provisions of the new credit card law to December 1.

As a nation, we pride ourselves in having overcome many of the racial barriers that marred America in the past. However, according to a recent study by economist Ethan Cohen-Cole at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, when it comes to getting approved for a credit card, race may still matter.

Based on an analysis of the credit files of 285,780 individuals, the study found evidence that credit card companies may base their decision about who to approve for credit cards in part on the racial composition of the neighborhood in which the applicant lives.

The statistics have finally caught up with the anecdotal reports from millions of cardholders: credit card companies have been cutting back on credit limits like never before. According to FICO, formerly Fair Isaac Corp., about 58 million consumers saw their credit limits cut from April 2008 to April 2009, about one third of all cardholders.

Ever worry that your credit card information may have been lifted by fraudsters without your knowing? Well, there may be one easy way to find out: Try Google.

While doing a simple name query on Google, one California family inadvertently discovered that their personal and financial information had been stolen. Worse, it had been posted in an online forum for all to see, and for the Google search bots to index.