See this page dedicated to hearings on Credit Card Practices: Fees, Interest Rates, and Grace Periods.
Why?
Well, how about this...:
In 2001 and 2002, Wesley Wannemacher, our first witness this morning, used a new credit card to pay for expenses mostly related to his wedding. He charged a total of about $3,200, which exceeded the card’s credit limit by $200. He spent the next six years trying to pay off the debt, averaging payments of about $1,000 per year. As of last month, he’d paid about $6,300 on his $3,200 debt, but his February billing statement showed he still owed $4,400.
How is it possible that a man pays $6,300 on a $3,200 credit card debt, but still owes $4,400? Here’s how. Take a look at this chart. On top of the $3,200 debt, Mr. Wannemacher was charged by the credit card issuer about $4,900 in interest, $1,100 in late fees, and $1,500 in over-the-limit fees. He was hit 47 times with over-limit fees, even though he went over the limit only 3 times and exceeded the limit by only $200. Altogether, these fees and the interest charges added up to $7,500 which, on top of the original $3,200 credit card debt, produced total charges to him of $10,700
