December 18, 2008
How the slowdown is hitting the credit card market
The current credit quagmire is a different animal to previous slowdowns, economic downturns or financial crises. Firstly it has a catchy, media-friendly name (‘Credit Crunch’). Secondly and most importantly it’s hit consumers harder and much earlier than previous ‘economic readjustments’. The catchy title isn’t to be underestimated – the media’s love of the term has raised awareness amongst the general public that there is a major problem with the financial system. It’s also brought home the fact that much of what is happening now is a direct consequence of the 10 years of good times had by all in the credit bonanza of the late 1990′s and early 2000′s. A survey by financial information analysts Moneyfacts has found that at least 10% of credit cards have raised their interest rates as a direct response to the current crisis.
A knock-on effect of the credit crunch has been the average interest rate on credit cards rising from 16.8% to 17.2% since the start of August 2008. This trend upwards is in direct opposition to the Bank of England’s policy of cutting base interest rates to stave off the chances of runaway inflation. The credit crunch is biting, and biting hard. As banks and lenders realise that the money pot in the City is nearly empty, they know that this time consumers are feeling the squeeze as well. In the lenders’ eyes that means a greater risk of customers defaulting on payments, so the interest rate rise on credit cards is seen as a financial cushion against defaults and bad debt. The lenders are shoring up their financial positions and doing their utmost to reduce their exposure to bad debt.
As the dominoes started to fall in the banking industry, lenders lost faith with their former partners and in their customers’ ability to pay back loans and credit card debts. The system relies on continuous injections of consumer cash in the form of interest payments to keep working. As borrowing from other financial institutions has become much harder, the only way for lenders to raise capital is to increase the interest charges on credit cards, loans, credit agreements and mortgages. This ground-shift signifies an end to the ‘live now, pay later’ mentality of the 1980′s and 1990′s. The good times really could be over – for a short time, anyway. But by readjusting their positions, the lenders may actually be doing the right thing, and not giving in to ‘quick fix’ solutions like rate cuts. A more pragmatic approach to the system means that credit cards still offer great deals – they’re just a little more careful to avoid lending to customers that may already have problems.
From 1997 until 2007, the lenders were having a boom time in the UK. But the credit crunch wasn’t the only thing that seemed to stop the good times in their tracks. An increasingly competitive marketplace, the emergence of economic superpowers like China and India, increasing bad debts and government legislation all contributed to the lenders reassessing their financial positions. Some companies responded by ‘dumping’ thousands of customers who were seen as non-profit clients – the people who paid off their balance in full each month and incurred minimal interest charges. All lenders have tightened up their criteria for lending, including restricting credit limits, imposing higher fees on balance transfers and limiting access to cash withdrawals. Although this may seem like a further indication that things are getting worse, it could actually be the right move – stabilising the credit market and reducing the possibility of credit card customers borrowing more than they can afford to pay back. The credit card lenders may actually lead the way in market recovery by this simple readjustment of open lending policy.
The lenders have suffered a double-blow. The loss of individual overall market share in the 1990′s resulted in lenders fighting hard for the affections of a credit card loving public with a plethora of 0% offers. Card lenders are now charging up to 3% balance transfer fees to try and regain a more stable financial position and refund some of the lost earnings that 0% offers cause. The second blow was the Office of Fair Trading’s decision in 2006 to impose a 12 cap on penalty fees. Now card lenders are bracing themselves for a third punch; the Complaint’s Commission decision to take a long, hard look at personal protection insurance schemes that are often mandatory additions to credit card agreements.
The economic slowdown could have yet another sting in its tail, with unemployment now under the spotlight. Higher interest rates on cards for everyone is the lender’s way of buffering their position, minimising their financial exposure. It means that everyone pays the price through increased interest charges, but a more stable credit card market emerges as a result. Credit card lenders are keeping a close eye on their customers, looking for early signs of financial difficulty. They are well aware that things are tight for everyone, and by keeping a watch for customers who show signs of struggling, they can step in early and guide the customer through the financial rapids they may find themselves in. The credit crunch does mean a slowdown generally, but rather than a complete collapse of the house of cards, it’s more a matter of shoring up the foundations so that the market can emerge stronger after the event.
Filed under Finance by