Consumers battling debt
Americans spending more than incomes are rising, causing debt to reach record 

Credit-card bills: Past due
U.S. credit-card delinquencies -- accounts 30 days or more overdue -- hit a record 3.66 percent of all accounts during the second quarter, the American Bankers Association reported Tuesday.

Credit Matters- credit report
I should have known something was up with my friend Sandra when she called me at 7 in the morning. In all the years I have known her, she has never called me before noon. Not even the time she sat next to Denzel on a flight from L.A. to New York. .

SECURING A CREDIT CARD 
If you think you'll never again enjoy the convenience of plastic because of bad credit, get a secured credit card. Almost 2 million such cards are now in use; they look and work like a regular Visa or MasterCard but require a security deposit, which sets the card's limit. However, some issuers offer much higher limits.