Here's a little interesting tidbit from
www.cardweb.com:
Fee Revenues
Cardholder fees have more than doubled since 1996 following a Supreme Court decision that gave national bank credit card issuers federal preemption of state regulations. Last year, revenues generated from late payment fees, over-limit fees, annual fees, balance transfer fees, cash advance fees, and, other user fees, grew 8.6% to $21.5 billion.