Credit Card Documentary

[Tree0164]

I got this on one my lists


The PBS show Frontline is airing a documentary on credit cards tomorrow night
(Tues, 11/23) at 8pm CST. Here's what the promo says:

"The average American family today carries eight credit cards. Credit card debt
and personal bankruptcies are now at an all time high. With no legal limit on
the amount of interest or fees that can be charged, credit cards have become the
most profitable sector of the American banking industry: more than $30 billion
in profits last year alone. FRONTLINE and The New York Times examine how the
credit card industry became so pervasive, so lucrative, and so politically
powerful."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/

[crosses]

I will be watching this.

[2moretrees]

Did anyone see this? I was planning on watching, but wasn't able to get home in time. Was there anything interesting in it?

[Tree0164]

I didnt get a chance to see it either . There is a small clip on the pbs.org website.


I hope to see it when it airs again

[jhd815]

I saw it and it was educational believe me!

This should be required viewing in every high school economics class as well as for anyone who wants to have a credit card.

If you visit the pbs/frontline website (see other posts) you can actually watch the documentary on your home PC if you have windows media player or realplayer.

I certainly hope that PBS re-runs this show. As editor of a newsletter on budget and credit issues I wish I had known about this program earlier so that I could have alerted my readers to it.

If anyone hears of PBS re-running this show can you please be sure to post it here for the rest of us to see?

Thanks,

[jhd815]

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.

[2moretrees]

Great. I will watch it later this evening.