Consumers cut card use, turn to CUs, CUNA tells WSJ

WASHINGTON (9/15/09)--The weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal outlines the "new rules for personal finance," with Credit Union National Association Chief Economist Bill Hampel noting that consumers are turning to credit unions for help.

In the article, entitled, "By Choice and By Force, Consumers Cut Back on Plastic" (Sept. 11), reporter Jane Kim recommends credit unions and local banks as a still-accessible source for loans.

Revolving credit is declining at an 8% annual rate, which indicates that Americans are ditching their plastic both by choice and by force as issuers tighten up, the article says.

"In some cases, consumers are turning to credit unions and their local banks for help," said the article. Through March, loan growth at credit unions--including mortgages, small business and car loans and credit cards--rose 5.8%, compared with a decline of 2.9% for commercial banks, Hampel told the publication.

Courtesy of cuna.org