UK cards on books 1-5 years are showing signs of debt stress - here are the facts, as well as recommendations for issuers.

Consumers who are concerned about their level of credit card debt can use a number of options and tactics to keep their credit healthy.

In reviewing our data from the FICO Benchmarking Service, for users of FICO TRIAD Customer Manager, I saw some interesting long-term trends and some signs of potential debt stress, particularly among accounts 1-5 years on book.

As FICO reported today, there was a 10% increase in the number of payment cards compromised at U.S. ATMs and merchants in 2017.

The introduction of two initiatives in the UK credit card market may see an increase in the promotion and take-up of Directs Debit, and greater flexibility offered to those paying this way.

Over the past few months, the percentage of new Irish card accounts that are delinquent has climbed to around 10%, more than twice the average for UK cards.

I'm forecasting that in 2018, my wallet will become slimmer as physical (plastic) credit cards are replaced with payment apps on my smart phone.

In terms of detecting fraudulent card transactions, there’s only one data source that offers the most predictive power, hands down: other card transactions, and lots of them.

Will banks bolster their defensive line with additional mobile payments fraud protections, driving further adoption?

Response rates have dramatically improved from hours or even days to 11 minutes on valid transactions and 31 minutes when confirming card fraud.