Credit card withdrawal – Banks pull the plug on consumer revolving debt. Credit card debt outstanding contracts from nearly $1 trillion to $800 billion. Bankruptcies on the rise even with tougher bankruptcy laws.
When people talk about the credit bubble they typically refer to the housing bubble and the trillions of dollars of debt secured by real estate. Yet the credit bubble also applies to student loans, government debt, and those pesky wallet hugging credit cards. The American economy has embraced credit cards as quickly as apple pie [...]
Bankruptcy filings reflect a weak economy – 9 percent jump in bankruptcy filing in last month of data. Bankruptcy map shows Nevada and South have highest filing rates per capita. $79,000 income and $11 million in debt?
Bankruptcies are still plaguing this country and show deeper strain in the fabric of the economy. Average Americans are still very much dealing with the challenges of a deep and profound recession. Filing for bankruptcy is usually the end of the financial line for many Americans. Yet in the last month of data for March [...]
1.41 Million Americans Filed for Personal Bankruptcies in 2009 a jump of 32 Percent from 2008. More and More Average Americans Resorting to Bankruptcy even with Tougher Rules to File.
The employment report out on Friday just goes to show that the American economy is still struggling to create jobs for average Americans. In fact 85,000 more jobs were lost in December but that isn’t the biggest data point out of the report. The civilian labor force shrunk by a stunning 661,000 and that is [...]
Bankruptcy Filings up 100 Percent from 2007: Americans Financially Unable to Meet Current Debt Payments. 85 Percent of Chapter 7 Filings are Classified as No-Assets.
The U.S. Courts released data last week closing out the 2009 fiscal year. In the release we find that bankruptcy filings are up 100+ percent from 2007. No other economic vehicle shows deeper signs of financial strain than bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is the end of the road for many Americans. Although businesses file for bankruptcy as [...]
FICO and the Credit Card Financial Prison: How a Three Digit Credit Score Reflects Consumerism and not Financial Independence.
Americans carry $900 billion in credit card debt. Approximately 75 percent of all those eligible for credit, those that are 18 years or older, have a credit rating score at any given time. This mysterious three digit score named a FICO Score is the basis for loans, interest rates, and should reflect your ability to [...]
Commercial Real Estate Reality Check: 2007 Commercial Real Estate Valued at $6.5 Trillion with $3.5 trillion loans. Today, Commercial Real Estate Valued at $3.5 Trillion with $3.5 Trillion in Loans. Can you spot the Problem?
Commercial real estate is dealing with the neutron bomb effect. The buildings still stand but the inside is gutted as if vultures had devoured a carcass. What we are seeing, like in many other sectors of our economy, is a distinction between reality based economics and the inflated prices of Wall Street. If we look [...]
Bankruptcy Filings to Match Divorce Filings in 2009: 1.5 Million. 35.8 Million Americans on Food Stamps – 11 Percent of the Population. The 5 Indicators of the Misery Index.
It is a sobering fact that in 2009, there will be as many people filing for bankruptcy as those filing for a divorce. We are on track to seeing an average of nearly 5,900 bankruptcy filings a day for 2009. While some people use the stock market as their barometer of economic recovery, there are [...]
Credit Card Companies Evolving Revenue Streams: Penalty for Paying on Time, 79.9% Annual Fee, Rising Charge Offs. The New Credit Card Revenue Streams.
The love hate relationship with credit cards for many Americans is probably leaning more in the hate stage at the moment. Americans have over $2 trillion in revolving debt – $1 trillion of that is plastic. The average American has come to rely on credit cards as a form of supplemental income, like retirees come [...]
JP Morgan the new Lehman Brothers: Why Make Money through Commercial Banking when you can become a taxpayer backed Investment Bank. How JP Morgan Really made the $3.6 Billion in Q3 Profits.
Toxic mortgages and credit card losses through defaults are rising at a rapid pace. This was also apparent in the earnings report from JP Morgan that reported positive earnings because of non-retail banking activities. Yet the media for whatever reason isn’t highlighting more carefully where the gains are coming from. For example, JP Morgan which [...]
Bankruptcy Filings Spiking: Chapter 7 Booming and 8 Years of Credit Card Industry Lobbying and $100 Million in Fees.
There is probably no bigger sign of economic distress than bankruptcy. It can be in the form of a business unable to pay debt obligations or an individual simply unable to keep up with former obligations. Most people that file for bankruptcy are not in a good economic spot. In fact, if you want a [...]
