Credit card users: Not so responsible after all?

Tools

By CANDICE CHOI, AP Personal Finance Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - With unemployment high and personal wealth diminished, how did consumers pay down so much credit card debt last year? It turns out they may not have.

Consumer credit research site CardHub.com analyzed Federal Reserve data and found that the bulk of last year's drop in credit card debt probably came because banks had to write off loans consumers failed to pay for more than 180 days. CardHub released its report Wednesday.

The study found that the $83.27 billion in credit card debt that banks wrote off in 2009 accounts for the bulk of the of $93.2 billion drop in consumer card balances.

CardHub CEO and founder Odysseas Papadimitriou said it didn't add up that consumers cut their debt so much while under such financial pressures.

Icon
Current Temp 50.0 °F
Mostly Cloudy
More Weather

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

On Demand

POLL: Extreme Katie's Next Adventure

What sport should Extreme Katie try next?
Learn More : Share Thoughts

  • Dog sledding
  • Sword fighting
  • Snowmobiling
  • It's 'snow machining'!