Niche Fever Articles

Credit card default rates are at 10% the highest ever. Banks who issue credit cards may have to greatly increase the amount of cash reserves to cover these debts thanks to a proposed accounting standard change. More money for reserves means less money for lending.

So how does this impact the consumer?

Consumers who are behind on the bill from their credit card should seriously consider contacting the bank and negotiating a discounted settlement. Using a credit counseling service is a good idea so the offer is reasonable and there is a plan in place to pay the settlement. Savings of thirty to forty percent or more are possible.

Because of a change in the FAS, banks will be required to bring “off the book loans” and put them “on the books”. It has been a common practice for banks to bundle credit card loans into an investment vehicle and sell them to the market. These loans, because they are investment vehicles, did not have to be shown on the bank’s balance sheet.

Banks that are FDIC insured are all regulated. Part of that regulation requires that banks keep a cash reserve equal to a percentage of all loans lent as a reserve against bad debt. Off the books loans were not included on the balance sheet so the banks did not have to have a reserve set aside for them.

Bringing these loans back on the books is going to have a significant impact on the amount of cash a bank needs to cover the reserve. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this rule change, American Express says it will have to add $28 billion in loan liabilities while Citigroup says it will have to add over $98 billion! Didn’t we just bail these guys out?

That huge influx of new loan liability will require that billions of dollars will have to be set aside as reserves. The fact that at least 10% of those loans are bad has motivated the banks to clean them up as fast as they can. If they can get $600 on a $1000 balance, that means they have just saved on the amount of reserve required for a $1000 loan. Banks are so motivated to reduce the number of delinquent debt that they are actually calling consumers themselves, not using collection agencies, and offering settlements.

If a consumer is already behind on their credit card bill their credit score is already trashed. There really is no downside to negotiating a discounted settlement providing you have the cash to do it. Credit counseling organizations can provide ideas on how best to handle the deal. This could be a time where the consumer can eliminate some serious debt.