CreditCards.com: Weekly Credit Card Rate Report - American Digital Networks (press release)

Aiken man pleads guilty to stealing credit card numbers

By T&D StaffTuesday, May 08, 2007

An Aiken man was ordered to repay thousands of dollars after he pleaded guilty last week to using his position at a retail store to gain access to customers’ credit card numbers.Kyle David Baldwin, 28, of 405 Independent Boulevard, pleaded guilty to breach of trust in General Sessions court in Orangeburg. Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein sentenced Baldwin to 30 days in prison, suspended to five years of probation.Baldwin was also ordered to perform 40 hours of public service and repay $4,942.54 to several customers of Belk in the Prince of Orange Mall. The man swiped the credit card information from three customers to make purchases between November 2001 and January 2002.Unfortunately for him, there was a paper trial left that led back to him.According to statistics kept by the Federal Trade Commission, more than 2,400 people became victims of identity theft in South Carolina last year.In an unrelated case, Lamand R. Russell, 27, of 725 Hesseman St., Holly Hill, pleaded guilty to failure to stop for a blue light and was sentenced to one year, suspended to six months of probation.Russell must also perform 10 hours of public service.

Ellison’s first bill would end controversial credit card practice

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WASHINGTON — Rep. Keith Ellison’s first bill would ban credit card companies from raising interest rates on customers because they’re behind on payments to other creditors, the first in a series of bills he says will focus on consumer justice.The practice, known as “universal default,” has come under attack by consumer groups and some members of Congress. Ellison, a freshman Minnesota Democrat, plans to introduce the bill on Thursday.“If you are late on a credit card, then it might be fair to address your credit worthiness for that credit card,” Ellison said in an interview. “But if you’re on time for somebody else’s credit card, it’s not fair to jack you up if you’re not late on that card. It’s just a basic issue of fairness.”The bill appears to have decent prospects in the House. The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Barney Frank, supports the bill, said committee spokesman Steve Adamske.He added that the committee will be looking into credit card practices, which could lead to legislation, and that Frank “expects Mr. Ellison’s bill to be a part of that mix.”Ellison, who serves on the committee, said he chose this as his first bill because he believes it’s important to bring back balance between corporations and consumers.“I’m pro-business — businesses help supply jobs — but the government does have a role to make sure that there’s some fairness for consumers,” he said. “We’re going to spend a lot of time doing that.”Citigroup Inc., the nation’s largest financial institution, and some others have already eliminated the practice.The American Bankers Association, a Washington-based trade group for banks, including those that issue credit cards, has concerns about the legislation.“It’s very important that banks be able to price for risk,” said Ken Clayton, a lobbyist for the group. “The risk profile of individual borrowers can change at any point. So what was a $1,000 borrowing without any other outstanding credit that’s not risky at one point, may be a lot more risky where there’s $50,000 of credit outstanding somewhere else.”He said that banks need to have the ability to make risk-based judgments.“Unfortunately, the bill would take that away,” Clayton said.Ellison said that just because someone is late on a credit card payment doesn’t mean that person is necessarily a bad credit risk.“I don’t think it should harm their ability to obtain credit,” he said. “And I also think it’s unfair to raise their rate on a card that they’re not late on. People already have enough trouble as it is if they’re behind on a credit card.”Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman helped look into credit card practices in March as the top Republican on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In a statement, Coleman said he’s been pressuring the credit card issuers to re-evaluate their practices, and is currently reviewing universal default, which he called “fundamentally unfair to the consumer.”“We should give the issuers a chance to develop more consumer-friendly policies before we add even more layers of federal regulation,” Coleman said. “If the credit card issuers don’t take the initiative and clean up their act, legislation might be the next step.”Ellison said he also wants to pursue other areas aimed at helping consumers, such as limiting high-interest rates on credit cards and making it easier for people who have legitimate needs to file for bankruptcy.“I’m concerned about issues that are wrapped up in a family’s ability to put food on the table, shelter over their heads, heath care,” he said. “This is the beginning of a whole credit reform effort we’re going to be pursuing.”
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BPNA launches two new MasterCard credit cards

27th April 2007

By Julia Chan

Chicago-based financial services provider Banco Popular North America has introduced two new credit card products in collaboration with credit card issuer MasterCard, namely the Banco Popular platinum MasterCard card and the Banco Popular classic MasterCard card.

The Banco Popular platinum MasterCard is an unsecured program offering an introductory 0% APR for balance transfers for six to 12 months. In addition, the card has no annual fee and automatically enrolls qualifying customers into the Popular rewards loyalty program. Other benefits include car rental insurance and purchase assurance.

The Banco Popular Classic MasterCard secured program, which is aimed at customers with little or no credit history, as well as customers wishing to rebuild their credit history, also has no annual fee and customers receive the same card benefits as the platinum cardholders enjoy. However, these accounts are secured by opening an interest-bearing Banco Popular North America (BPNA) savings account with a minimum deposit of $500 and a maximum of $5,000. The credit limit matches the deposit dollar for dollar.

Other benefits of the new MasterCard offerings include a MasterCard zero liability policy for fraudulent activity, access to 1.2 million ATMs globally, worldwide acceptance at more than 25 million locations, and a bilingual customer service.

Business Card Reader - Maximize Your Contacts By Using A Business Card Reader!

If you are one of the many who seems to spend a lot of time being given business cards during your working day and just do not have the time to start inputting the information into your contact manager on your computer and wonder what you should do with them (other than throw them into the bin). Well help is at hand. So instead of just letting them sit on your desk or in a drawer gathering dust why not get yourself a business card reader. In fact many people put of setting up a database into which they can enter all the details on the business cards that they receive because it can be such a tedious task. However with the use of a business card reader this task can be completed in minutes rather than hours.

A business card reader is a small card scanner which allows you to quickly can business cards and then converts them into text. Once converted into text you can decide whether you want them to be placed in your Outlook contact list or you can use the software that comes with them in order to organize your own database.

Certainly when they first appeared on the scene business card readers were over priced and considered to be a frivolous piece of computer equipment so many companies would spend their money on more important things. However as you will soon discover the prices of these card scanners have dropped dramatically and now becoming a very important part of everyday office equipment.

This type of card scanner is particularly in both CRM and Sales orientated environments as no longer does it mean time is being wasted in searching for the information that is required with regard to a particular client. Once the information has been in put into the database on a computer then others can easily gain access to it as long as they have access. This is particularly great for sales staff who when away from the office are able to gain access to their list of clients just by opening up the database on their own Pocket PC, smart phone or Palm OS device as they software provided with a business card reader allows for these devices to be synched to the database.

So if you are looking for an easier way to get all the information from all those business cards you have sat on your desk gathering dust then investing in a business card reader may be a good way to go.

The Advanta Platinum Business Cards Simplifying Business

Advanta was established in 1951 and there are two banks under Advanta namely Advanta National Bank and Advanta. Advanta is renowned for the creative and individualized financial service it offers to its customers as well as the proficiency of its knowledge about the financial industry and managerial expertise which it uses to its advantage to cement its relationships with its clients.

Advanta offers two types of Advanta business credit cards and Advanta Platinum Business Card is one such card.

Target Clients

Advanta Platinum Card is specially created keeping in mind the businessmen who want to combine all their business expenses onto a single credit card account. These people want to pay everything related to the business through a credit card and at the same time need a higher credit line.

Key Features

Advanta Platinum Card has no annual fee with an initial 12 month period 0% APR i.e. 0% interest rate on purchases and balance transfers. After the expiry of introductory 12 months, the APR for purchases and balance transfers is reasonable. The card comes with an exceptionally high credit line of $50,000. The design of the card can be customized to suit the customers business needs.

Other Benefits

Advanta Platinum Business Card is accepted at millions of locations in the world over. Some of the benefits that Advanta Platinum Business cardholder can enjoy are attractive discounts on products and services from retailers and merchants, online access to account information and services including statements and management reports, customized checks and billing date. The online information is compatible with both Quicken and Microsoft Money software.

The card provides auto rental insurance and protection of purchases and warranties. Also, the Advanta Business card offers automatic theft and damage protection.

Reward Program

Advanta Platinum Business Card MasterCard holders can take advantage of the reward programs and earn a point for every dollar purchase made with the card. There is no upper limit for points that can be accumulated in a year. These points can be exchanged for travel rewards or attractive cash rebates.

Businessmen who occasionally carry a balance and plan to take advantage of the additional benefits and services (especially the retailer and merchant discounts) will benefit most from using the Advanta Platinum Business Card MasterCard. The rate however is a little higher compared to that charged to an individual with good credit, but it is reasonable for those who don't always carry a balance on their account.