Credit scores hit by card limits
Saturday June 28, 6:56 am ET
By Rachel Beck, AP Business Writer
Credit-card lenders lower borrowing levels, which hurts consumers' credit scores
NEW YORK (AP) -- Just as Americans grow more reliant on credit cards to help pay monthly bills, they're being hit with a one-two punch: Card companies are reducing borrowing limits for tens of thousands of consumers, which then can lead to lower credit scores.
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http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080628/all_business.html
I believe this is a very new development that will really hammer the ability of the consumer to spend.
Basically, the banks are very edgy and started to reduce unused credit limits on suspect customers. The problem for such customers is that after the first credit reduction their total credit limit goes lower, their debt/credit ratio goes higher damaging FICO. This is a snowball effect: once one creditor lowers credit limit, the other lower theirs as well seeing dropping FICO. The end result is that the person won't have ANY credit left on his credit cards, just the debt that he can't afford to pay off.
Saturday June 28, 6:56 am ET
By Rachel Beck, AP Business Writer
Credit-card lenders lower borrowing levels, which hurts consumers' credit scores
NEW YORK (AP) -- Just as Americans grow more reliant on credit cards to help pay monthly bills, they're being hit with a one-two punch: Card companies are reducing borrowing limits for tens of thousands of consumers, which then can lead to lower credit scores.
....
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080628/all_business.html
I believe this is a very new development that will really hammer the ability of the consumer to spend.
Basically, the banks are very edgy and started to reduce unused credit limits on suspect customers. The problem for such customers is that after the first credit reduction their total credit limit goes lower, their debt/credit ratio goes higher damaging FICO. This is a snowball effect: once one creditor lowers credit limit, the other lower theirs as well seeing dropping FICO. The end result is that the person won't have ANY credit left on his credit cards, just the debt that he can't afford to pay off.