CNN Calls Credit Unions the Best Revenge

Browsing through my online financial reading list I came across this on CNN Money and had to pass it along:

Credit unions: Best revenge for angry cardholders

Sure, 2010 looks to be marginally better once new credit card regulations kick in, but I’m still betting the bank credit card industry will find new and creative ways to extract revenue from consumer accounts. It’s their business model, after all.

But sweet revenge could be just a credit union away. A recent Pew Trust study determined that on average, credit cards issued by credit unions charge much lower fees than their bank-card brethren. For example, the median late fee on a credit union card is $20. For a bank card it’s $39. Yes, that’s right: Credit unions charge 49% less. Credit unions also offer a better interest rate deal. By law credit unions cannot charge more than 18% interest; the median bank-card penalty rate for late payments, according to Pew, is 29%. (read the rest of the article…)