Bank write-offs double for bad credit card debt

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The Bank of England has reported a significant rise in the amount of money that banks have written off as bad debts on their credit cards.

The Bank figures show that the total value of the write-offs doubled to 1.6bn in the third quarter of 2009.

In the first and second quarter, the figure had been around 800m. The total amount of credit card related write-offs totalled 3.2bn during 2008.08.

These unusually high figures are largely due to the recession and are an acknowledgement by the banks that defaulting borrowers will never repay the outstanding debts.

In comparison, the total amount of mortgages written off in 2008 was just 408m, while averaging 260m in each of the first three quarters of 2009.

Banks and other lenders put much larger sums, running into several billions of pounds, aside each year to cover potential losses on credit cards, mortgages, overdrafts, and personal loans.

“There was a one-off write-off of impaired credit card balances by one of the banking groups,” said a spokesman for the British Bankers’ Association.

David Black of the financial consultancy Defaqto, said that over the last four years, banks have been much more careful about who they will lend to.

“HSBC, NatWest and RBS will only offer new credit cards or unsecured loans to their current account customers,” he said.

“Banks also want to sweep bad news into one year’s accounts to make future years look better,” he added.

Small Business Credit Card Processing Warning

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Before You Choose the WRONG Credit Card Processor

Whether your business is struggling or thriving in todays challenging economy, it is still vitally important you get the best Merchant account credit card processing program for your small business. Credit card Processing for your small business is a must have service. It has been proven over and over again that you will make more sales by increasing the ways your customers can pay. But while it can be quite easy to acquire Merchant Services from a credit card processing provider it can be quite difficult to tell which ones are telling you the truth about the actual costs.

The competition for your Credit Card Processing business is growing fiercer everyday. New Merchant Service providers are popping almost daily. The majority of the credit cad processing companies are third and fourth party. This means they can be sales agents for a sales agent for a company with the actual agreement with VISA and Mastercard. Why should this concern a small business owner? With every new layer between your business and VISA and Mastercard there will be another sales and administrative workforce that will need to be paid. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that it will be the small business owner who will be paying for those salaries.

What are a few of the things to look out for when you are approached by some of the Merchant Services providers? Several of them will employ what is referred to as using a Blitzkrieg approach. They hire a team of hard-sell, high pressure sales reps who come into a city or town in groups. They sweep in, cold call and use everything in their arsenal to make the small business owner take action right then and there to change to their company. They will often lead the merchant to think that this great deal is only good for that day. Some small business owners have remarked that their heads were still spinning long after the sales rep had left with the signed paperwork. The honest sales reps will allow you to take the time you need to make an intelligent decision.

Probably one of the biggest complaints leveled against some of the credit card processing companies is their use of hidden fees. Some merchant services providers have as many as 21 different types of fees they can charge your account. Unfortunately many of the merchant account statements are confusing to read and unless you are trained on how to read them you wont see where you are being charged extra or unnecessary fees.

Whether you are a small business owner who wants to start accepting credit cards or you are an established business owner who wants to keep as much of your profits as possible, you need to know what to look for in a great merchant services program. Talk to a Merchant Service Specialist. The honest ones will disclose all the costs involved with you accepting credit cards for payment. And they will be willing to put it in writing. Dont be the victim of hidden fees and misleading sales reps. It is your money. You deserve to keep as much of it as you can.

When it comes to small business credit card processing you must talk to an expert.

Acing Any Credit Cards Instant Decision Process

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Today, when you apply for credit cards, instant decision algorithms tell you very quickly whether youve been accepted or not. The banks have tightened their credit card approvals process considerably since the financial crisis, though. The fact that instant decision systems exist, though, shouldnt lead you to think that passing a credit card verification process is simple.
Whether you choose to submit your application online or in person, the fact that youve applied appears on your credit report. You dont want to apply unless you feel that you have a good chance of being accepted.

Your first step in applying for a credit card should be to get a soft pre-verification check done. Many banks and other personal finance websites provide the service. A soft check doesnt pull your credit report it merely evaluates your chances of passing a proper credit card verification check with whatever information you are able to fill in.

If your pre-verification check seems less than certain about your chances, you need to do everything you can to improve your chances. Only then should you apply in earnest.

What Can You Do To Improve Your Chances?

The health of your credit file is an important part of how easily you pass an instant decision for a credit card. Before you fill out an application, it would be a good idea to check out your credit yourself and to build it up as well as you can. If you have missed payments recently, you should make sure that you pay regularly for a few months before you attempt to apply for a credit card.

Once You Have Worked On Your Credit Rating

To even begin to qualify for a credit card, you need to be a UK resident and at least 18 years of age (many banks require that applicants be 25 years of age). Depending on what kind of credit card you are applying for, a regular income and some financial history may also be required.

A part of your success passing a card application decision comes down to doing a good job providing accurate information on the form. Since the banks always ask for multiple documents to back up the information that you provide, any mistake that you make will be caught out. Keep documents on hand for the following.

Identification that shows your name, title and contact information

You will need details of your job on hand what your job title is, whether you are employed full-time or part-time, the name of your employer and the relevant contact information. The longer you have served with the same employer, the better your chances getting a good credit card someone with a steady job is considered a good bet.

Youll need to provide some financial information. You need proof of what your exact salary is and where your bank account is. You should have the name of the name of the bank that youve operated regularly for the longest time. A long banking record works in your favor.

You could need to provide details of any loans that you have to your name. You need to be careful not to omit any known loan. The credit card provider could easily verify the information that you provide.

Make Sure That You Apply For The Right Kind Of Credit Card

Many credit card applications end in rejection simply for the reason that applicants applying for cards aim far higher than they could ever qualify for. If you have an average income, for instance, it makes no sense applying for a high-end prestige card.

Sometimes, its the banks that choose a credit card for you. If you have good credit, a bank may approach you with an offer of a preapproved credit card. Even if you have a bank choosing a credit card for you, you still do need to check it out yourself to see if its the right card for your needs. Does it offer you a reasonable APR? Is the grace period a fair one? Are the rewards and balance transfer rules the right kind for your needs?

With todays credit cards, instant decision approvals make a process that used to be tedious and time-consuming easy and efficient. Its up to the consumer to use these offers responsibly.

Some Tips To Prevent Identity Theft

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It is estimated that more than ten million people are affected as a result of identity theft in the US. Identity theft is a distressing activity in which thieves use your personal information including credit cards, debit cards, drivers license, social security number, and ATM cards in order to commit crime, that may be simple to critical which may even sometimes lead to the loss of your job or reputation. From conventional yet common ways like pickpocketing your wallet and purses and phone spam to dumpster diving and skimming that is cloning your sensitive information using a kind of special device, a variety of options is adopted by thieves to retrieve your personal information in order to gain personal benefits. Whatever the method used for identity theft, the after effects of identity theft is quite upsetting, and can create serious issues in the victims life. Listed below are some important tips that help you to prevent identity theft.

About 50% of identity theft occurring in the nation is obtained through stolen wallet. Hence, never carry more than one credit card or debit card in your wallet. Further, unless necessary, never carry such valid information as social security card in your wallet.
Be careful when you insert your ATM card and enter the PIN number at the ATM counter. In other words, ensure that no one is peeking at PIN number while you type it.
A criminal may sometimes search your mail box in order to access your most important information. Hence, consider using a post office box.
Likewise, be careful when you throw your bills, as criminals may use a practice namely dumpster diving in order to retrieve your most valid information. Hence, check several times prior to throwing a bill or a piece of paper.
With the introduction of the internet, more and more people become victim of identity theft online. It is therefore recommended to install the latest anti virus software. Further, never reply to emails asking for your credit card information or other personal details.
Equally important is to be careful while you receive phone calls requesting for your credit card or bank account details, as a legitimate financial institution never makes a call out of the blue asking for your personal details.
Track your bank account as well as credit card statements regularly. This would help you to easily trace out unscrupulous transactions, if any.

Above all, the usage of such options as iWallet can also help you prevent identity theft. With biometric scanner, iWallet is a high tech cash and credit card wallet, whose specialty is that it could be opened only if it recognizes your finger print.

How To Protect Yourself From Pre-Approved Credit Card Offer

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Have you received before a pre-approved credit card offer that sent to you through your email address? If you are not, then you are the lucky one. Most of people who have access to email are receiving dozens of “good offer” from credit card companies. Low-internet rate and higher credit limit are among the good deals in the offers and the best part is: it has been pre-approved to you. Sound good? Well, before you go ahead and accept one. Ask yourself whether you really need it or not. According to the credit card site CardWeb.com, average American household are holding a $10,000 credit card debt. Don’t let you be one of the statistics.

The best way to keep credit card debt down is not to use a credit card. But if you do receive a pre-approved card that intrigues you, at least know what you are getting into before signing on the bottom line:

What interest are you paying? Make sure you understand the interest rate you will be paying for. There are two types of interest rates, fixed-rate annual percentage rate (APR) and variable rates that swing according to the market rate. A better option would be APR because credit card companies have to notify you before raising rates.

The low interest rate being offered is usually only an “introductory rate” which means the rate can – and probably will – increase significantly at the end of the introductory period. This means that balances transferred from higher interest rate credit cards to the new, low introductory rate card could, over the long run, actually cost you more in interest payments. So, be aware of the terms and conditions before you sign to accept the card.

Know that a credit card may carry more than one rate. You may not aware that most of credit cards carry more than one rate. The balance transfer and cash advance normally have higher interest rate. Interest rate shows in the offer normally is the interest rate of your purchases with credit card. Hence, at the end you probably pay higher interest rate if you have balance transfer or withdraw any cash advance with your credit card.

Credit card companies may raise the interest rate if you have late payment. Some credit card companies will immediately raise your interest rate from introductory teaser rate to the regular rate if you are late just one time.

Don’t accept the new credit card offer if fee involved. If there is fee involved with your new credit card, don’t accept the offer. Why pay a fee for a credit card when, with good credit, you don’t have to? If you have good credit, there are many other better offers which you can choose from.

Many of these cards are just preliminarily approved. This means that when you actually apply, the credit card company will reviewing your credit report in full as well as verifying information provided on your application. Terms and conditions may change according to your qualification, such as higher interest rate or smaller credit line. And if your application is rejected, it could cause at least minimal damage to your credit report.

So, in order to protect yourself, you need to carefully read all of the fine print in the offer and, if you don’t fully understand and like everything you read, throw the credit card offer away. Even if you fully agree with the stated terms and conditions, do some calculations to be sure that the lower introductory rate, especially in the case of balance transfers, will actually save you money over the long run.