[PrairieMule]

Not a dime from me, not one dime.

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Gideon', '"')favorable currency exchange and overseas use of its card"

[aldente]

I did a search on Selander, the CEO as mentioned, changed it to a picture search and ended up with this nasty, disgusting, ugly, anoying and dirty picture. The amount of money that this group makes simply by 'handling money' (what else is a credit card company doing other than sorting, forklifting and warehousing virtual cash) is simply obscene.

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ferrelgiraffe', 'P')eak oil will stop all this madness.

[Lore]

CNBC was talking yesterday about credit card debt reaching yet another all time high and reasoning that gas prices at the pump were driving more people to use their cards to keep up.

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('albente', '.')..ended up with this nasty, disgusting, ugly, anoying and dirty picture. The amount of money that this group makes simply by 'handling money' ...is simply obscene.

[basil_hayden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('purcatty', 'I')nstead of the title

Master card 1Q profit soars to 70

it should read

Master card IQ profile soars to 70.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')arkets are plunging, banks are collapsing and talk of recession is all about, but the global gloom is not stopping the launch of a MasterCard credit card inlaid with a diamond and laced with gold.

Known as the “Diamond”, the card has a 0.02-carat gem embedded in its centre and a picture of a peacock for female cardholders and a winged horse for men

The card, which has a $1,000 (£620) annual fee, is to be issued in two weeks’ time by MasterCard and Kazkommertsbank, the second largest bank in commodities-rich Kazakhstan, where the oil and minerals boom of recent years has created a fresh crop of billionaires.

Asked about the timing of the launch, the bank’s head of international payment systems, Alla Voyakina, said: “The [financial] crisis is also affecting us but we are talking about rich people, they can afford to have such cards. It’s a question of prestige to have such cards in your wallet.”

The diamond was “only a design element”, Ms Voyakina said. “It’s showing your status.”

[Daniel_Plainview]

There is no limit to the insanity.

[like_the_dinosaurs]

At least pick pockets will now be able to steal something of worth! lol

[nobodypanic]

dump all your PMs. diamond is the new gold!

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DoomWarrior', 'T')here is no limit to the insanity.

[CarlosFerreira]

So what? There's demand (fresh bilionaires in Kazakhstan), there's supply. It's a design element. Just because the world economy is crumbling around us, it doesn't mean newly-rich people would stop to notice. They're OK - they'll have the diamond-encrusted card.

1000$ fee per year, that's the ticket! Certainly small change for a gentleman like yourself?

[Madpaddy]

Cover charge: $15.00

Round of drinks: $23.00

Table dance: $30.00

Another round of drinks: $23.00

Couch dance and tips: $50.00

A round of shots: $34.00

Private dance in your hotel room: $300.00.

Send her on her way and never have to hear her complain:

priceless.

There are some things that money can't buy... for everything else, there's Mastercard.

[ReverseEngineer]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Madpaddy', 'C')over charge: $15.00
Round of drinks: $23.00
Table dance: $30.00
Another round of drinks: $23.00
Couch dance and tips: $50.00
A round of shots: $34.00
Private dance in your hotel room: $300.00.
Send her on her way and never have to hear her complain:
priceless.
There are some things that money can't buy... for everything else, there's Mastercard.

[Tyler_JC]

Personally, I'd rather have the American Express black card.

Instant credit verification anywhere in the world and no credit limit.

Subtlety beats glitz every time.



The benefits of this card are unbelievable.

That is, if you are a ridiculously rich person who buys a lot of expensive crap every year.

[Ache]

http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topst ... cards.aspx

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')ould banks have any less respect for their customers?

Citibank (C) has begun closing customers' accounts without telling them. That's a bitter surprise for some people who pull out their cards to make a purchase, only to learn that the card has been denied.

This isn't anything new, but it's a trend that's starting to involve more banks and affect more customers who least expect it. Pay your bill on time and keep a low balance? Doesn't matter. All types of accounts are getting hit.

* Find a better credit card

One woman tried to pay for gas, according to the Associated Press. Citibank said it was because of something that appeared on her credit report. But when the woman accessed her credit report, it only said, "Closed at credit grantor's request."

The woman said she used the card regularly and always paid the bill promptly, according to the AP. Other people have reported similar incidents. Read this person's story for more.

And it isn't just Citibank that's yanking cards. The Wall Street Journal has the story of how American Express (AXP) suddenly canceled the card of one woman earlier this year. The woman -- a lawyer, in fact -- was told that her card was canceled because of information in her credit report.

That seems to be a standard line for credit card companies. And though it seems like bad business, experts tell the Journal that it is legal for companies to cancel cards without warning.

Customers have reportedly been affected by this at Bank of America (BAC), JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and HSBC Holdings, according to the Journal.

In Citibank's case, the company said it decided to close some MasterCard accounts that were co-branded with oil companies, including Shell, Citgo, ExxonMobil and Phillips 66-Conoco.

It's fine to close customer accounts. That's business, and banks do it all the time. And in this economy, credit-card companies are getting killed as people who have lost jobs abandon payments. Banks are responding with panic, raising interest rates and fees and canceling cards to try and minimize risk.

What gets me, however, is the way Citibank did it.

AP reports that Citi closed the accounts on Wednesday, but sent out letters Monday informing customers of the change. So Citibank waits until the last minute to tell customers, most of whom probably didn't receive the news before their cards were shut down.

Way to leave your customers in the lurch.

[patience]

I have a couple cards I'm going to cancel. I think I'll tell them it is because of information in THEIR credit report, AKA, financial ratings. Sorry, worthless, predatory sob's.