Financial Services and E-Commerce

This article examines the call for regulatory changes on credit cards. Advocates of greater regulation have alleged three problems that are purported to justify additional regulation of the credit card market: (1) Consumer overindebtedness caused by access to credit cards, (2) Unjustifi ably “high” interest rates on credit cards, and (3) A growing use of so-called “hidden” fees. Reviewing the empirical evidence available on these issues, however, there is no sound evidence that any of them present a meaningful problem for which greater regulation is appropriate.