Category: Credit Cards

American Express recently gave $19 million to mobile payment firm Payfone in an effort to expand its existing Serve platform, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. In doing so, it will potentially allow consumers who have credit card debt or prepaid cards from American Express to link those accounts to their mobile phone numbers.

The lender hopes that this expansion will entice new consumers to begin opening accounts with the lender, as it is expected that using mobile phones to deal with credit card debt will be increasingly popular with younger early adopters, the report said. In allowing prepaid cards to be linked as well, the technology can also be utilized by the underbanked.

It is expected that use of mobile phones to deal with credit card debt will become more prevalent in the near future, and the industry could be worth as much as $44 billion annually by 2015.

While the Discover America Daily Getaways promotion is open to consumers with all types of credit card accounts, those who use American Express will receive an additional 10 percent off their travel purchases, according to the lender. Consumers can currently receive sizeable bargains on hotel accommodations, airfare and vehicle rentals through the USTA promotion.

Statistics show that as consumers become more comfortable in dealing with credit card debt again, they are more interested in traveling, as 59 percent are planning a trip between February and July, the report said. That's a 5 percent increase from the same period last year.

Consumers who have accounts that grant them rewards points for every dollar of credit card debt they carry may also see a benefit in making these purchases, particularly if their card gives them more airline miles or hotel loyalty points. 

Instances of defaulted credit card debt controlled by the nation's largest lenders rose during the month of March, to 8.31 percent, according to the latest statistics from Fitch Ratings. This was up from the 8.05 percent rate observed in February, and marked the first time in six months that there was an increase in charge offs.

However, Fitch managing director Michael Dean stated that his group thinks the change is more likely the result of seasonal factors such as bankruptcy filings that come during tax season, rather than a new trend in consumers' credit card debt payment.

This may be illustrated by the nationwide rate of 60-day delinquency, which fell once again in March to 3.11 percent, the report said. The February rate was 3.2 percent.

Declines in delinquent credit card debt are often viewed as precursors to those in charged off accounts. As a result, it's likely that charge offs will continue to drop in the coming months.

The number of consumers who allowed their credit card debt payments to fall delinquent during the final three months of 2010 slipped to 3.28 percent of all accounts, according to the latest quarterly statistics from the American Bankers Association. This was a drop from the 3.64 percent observed at the end of the third quarter of 2010. It was also well below the current 15-year average of 3.92 percent, and the lowest rate observed since the first quarter of 2001.

ABA chief economist James Chessen noted that the declines in delinquent credit card debt over the last several months are likely the result of more hiring, lower unemployment rates, and broadening household wealth, the report said. When consumers have more money, they are more likely to both spend more and reduce their outstanding balances, he said.

However, a recent study found some consumers are staying current on their credit card debt by sacrificing payments on their mortgage.

The latest data from credit monitoring bureau Experian shows that credit card debt balances have tumbled more than 5 percent in 48 municipal areas across the country, even while many still faced severe financial difficulties, according to a report from the consumer advice site Wallet Pop. In more than half of these cities, real estate problems brought on by the foreclosure have been well above national averages.

This trend likely indicates that more banks are charging off delinquent credit card debt in these areas, the report said. Another possibility is that lenders have severely cut consumers' credit limits in these areas.

A recent poll also showed that many Americans preferred to pay their credit card bill over their mortgage, so consumers in those areas particularly affected by spikes in foreclosure, such as states in the South and Southwest, might be following this trend.

Lenders such as Capital One Financial and Discover are expected to make sizeable profits in the coming months as they have seen instances of delinquent and defaulted credit card debt decline considerably, according to a report from financial news site The Street. That trend is expected to continue into the future as well, as consumers get a better handle on their finances.

"Credit quality has been pretty impressive for the last 18 months or so," Chris Brendler, an analyst with investment banking firm Stifel Nicolaus, told the news site. "Delinquencies and charge-offs are falling as they should be falling, and Capital One will be one of the primary beneficiaries of that this quarter."

However, there is also some concern as to whether consumers will continue to utilize credit at roughly the same rate they did prior to the national recession, the report said. Many may be unwilling to deal with credit card debt as a result of past money problems.

Many consumers have already begun to become more comfortable with credit card debt again, as the amount borrowed has increased slightly in recent months.

Originally, the Federal Reserve set the deadline for when it would enact a rule limiting swipe fees for debit card transactions on April 21, but now the central bank says this date will come and go without finalizing it, according to a report from Reuters. The reason for the delay is that the Fed received more than 11,000 official letters commenting on the effects the rule change would have, and needs to study them more carefully, chairman Ben Bernanke recently announced. But despite the delay, the Fed noted it will have the rule finalized and in place by July 21, the deadline originally set by lawmakers.

However, by delaying the change even for a few months, the Fed has put the rule change itself in peril, the report said. Already, lobbying efforts by the banking industry against the new regulation have been significant, and are only likely to further increase during the next few months.

"It's a win for the banks and the various entities that were trying to introduce changes in the law," Tom Layman, a former chief economist for Visa who now runs the payments consulting firm Global Vision Group, told the news agency.

Those in the banking industry say this change, in addition to various other consumer protections against significant credit card debt introduced by lawmakers, will cost financial institutions billions of dollars per year, the report said. In particular, banks have lobbied for the rule change to be delayed for up to several years while the effects of these changes are studied more closely.

However, those who backed the bill, particularly those in the Democrat-controlled Senate, believe that the protections are necessary for consumers, as they could lead to lower prices from retailers and, in turn, less credit card debt, the report said.

More rules related to Americans' credit card debt are expected to be added when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gains formal regulatory power over the lending industry in July.

The number of consumers who are current in paying down their credit card debt but 30 days or more behind on home loan payments rose to 7.4 percent in the third quarter of last year, according to a new study from the credit monitoring bureau TransUnion. That's up from 4.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008, before the financial crisis really took hold.

Ezra Becker, vice president of research and consulting in TransUnion's financial services business unit, noted that this trend is likely the result of continued depreciation of home values, indicating consumers' inability or unwillingness to pay their mortgage bills, because credit card debt is often easier to handle.

Consumers' efforts to reduce their credit card debt has led to fewer instances of both delinquency and default for the nation's largest lenders over the last several quarters, though some say this is the result of prior charge offs rather than more conscientious bill payment.

Google, makers of the popular Android smartphone operating system, will soon team with both MasterCard and Citigroup to begin implementing a system that will allow users to load their payment information onto their mobile device, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. In addition to making it easier for consumers to deal with their credit card debt – rather than using traditional cards and statements – the system would also be incentivized for businesses that opt to take part.

Google would allow companies that install the system for processing credit card transactions to gain more information about the customers that use it, allowing them to specifically target those people with special advertisements based on their purchase history, the report said. Further, it would help users by offering discounts to participating businesses based on the same data.

"A phone is a lot smarter than a card," Doug Bergeron, VeriFone's chief executive, told the newspaper. "It opens the door to a rich experience at the point of sale that retailers really covet."

Currently, the plans indicate the mobile payment system would only be available to consumers whose credit card debt or debit accounts are controlled by Citi, the report said. The Internet giant only has one type of phone available at present that would allow for such purchases to be made, but that will almost certainly change in the future regardless of whether the program proves successful in early test runs.

Recent reports suggest that the contactless mobile phone payment market is fertile ground for expansion, the report said. A Federal Reserve Board study found there are about 70 million contactless devices currently circulating in the U.S. – including both credit and debit cards – but only 150,000 readers.

However, this type of mobile wallet, which would not only allow consumers to make purchases but also get a better handle on their credit card debt and spending – is seen as the next frontier for mobile carriers, banks and consumers alike. The industry is expected to grow to be worth tens of billions of dollars within the next five years.

Consumers Union, which runs the influential Consumer Reports publication and website, recently came out in favor of the federal government further lowering penalty fees consumers can be charged, according to a report from the Madison Capital Times. It believes these charges, capped at $25 for a first offense and $35 for repeated missteps, can add to consumers' credit card debt too quickly and easily.

Further, the group alleges that penalty interest rates on credit card debt have not been effectively reined in, the report said. Currently, there is no cap at all, and it believes a penalty rate should not be able to exceed 7 percentage points more than the standard APR.

Once the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gains its full power in July, many expect it to put a number of new protections related to credit card debt in place.