FedPrimeRate.com Now Recommending Small Business Credit Cards
The United States Prime Rate website at www.FedPrimeRate.com is now recommending small business credit cards on offer in the American market.
“We’re really glad to see business credit cards coming back,” said Steve Brown, content manager at FedPrimeRate.com. “Small business owners all across America have been struggling to get access to loans as banks continue to hoard cash. Though the American economy is growing again, the banking sector is still hurting, with many banks still facing closure by the FDIC.”
To date, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has closed 90 banks in 2010, which, so far, is a faster pace of bank closures when compared to 2009. Between the beginning of 2009 and July 17, 2009, the FDIC closed 57 banks. The FDIC closed a total of 139 banks during all of 2009. Another troubling fact: unnumbered banks across the country are defaulting on their TARP payments.
“We like the new Ink line of business credit cards from Chase because they offer great rates, reasonable terms and conditions, and they have a very strong bank behind them,” continued Brown. “Chase is on an extremely short list of banks that emerged from the banking crisis virtually unscathed. We believe that a bank as strong and responsible as Chase has the financial strength and corporate culture necessary to provide some of the most consumer and business-owner friendly credit products around.”
Many factors have contributed to banks scaling back on lending to small businesses. Since the subprime mortgage-inspired financial crisis unfolded two years ago, banks have had to operate within a powerfully negative economic environment: a severe banking crisis, a devastating recession, rising unemployment and defaults, disinflation and the very real threat of deflation. As a result, the credit card industry contracted sharply. Another major factor: the market for credit-card receivables completely dried up. During the credit boom years, banks would bundle up all kinds of credit-card debt, including business-credit card debt, and sell this debt to investors on Wall Street — very similar to the way mortgages were packaged and sold to investors. Credit-card securitization contributed much to the ready flow of credit to all types of consumers and businesses, as banks were more than happy to pass the risk associated with unsecured debt onto Wall Street. However, the fate of this market was to become another domino felled by one of the many financial shockwaves created by the subprime-mortgage crisis. Business credit cards became so risky and unprofitable for banks that many business card accounts were either closed or had their credit lines severely limited.
Advanta, a company that specialized in small business credit cards, closed all of its card accounts on May 30, 2009. Advanta Corporation filed for bankruptcy relief in November, 2009. The FDIC closed Advanta Bank Corporation in March of 2010.
Chase emerged from the global banking crisis and subsequent Great Recession as one of America’s strongest and most resilient banks.
“Have you seen how complicated it is to get a Small Business Administration loan?” quipped Brown. “Business credit cards are not just a great way to get quick and easy access to short-term financing. Small businesses owners can benefit from the rewards programs that come with many business cards, and they can also stay more organized with monthly and yearly expense reports that many business credit card issuers provide. A business credit card also helps a business build its credit rating, making it more likely to get approved for a traditional bank loan in the future.”
The typical small business owner who uses a business credit card for short-term financing is a responsible borrower. According to the Federal Reserve, less than 20% of small business credit card holders carry a balance.
About FedPrimeRate.com
The website at FedPrimeRate.com is the Internet’s premier information space dedicated to interest rates and finance.
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