Councillor Sara Duncan, Alliance Councillor for Castlereagh West, welcomes the news that some credit card companies, Abbey, Egg, Barclay, and Co-op, are to share information, to prevent their users from getting into debt.
They will check whether users are making the minimum payment, or taking cash out, or whether they are making payments in full.
As a volunteer in an advice agency which deals with an ever increasing number of people who get into debt, and then use credit cards to pay off other credit cards, leading to spiralling rates of interest, which they cannot ever hope to pay off, I am pleased add this move by credit card companies.
I would encourage all credit card, store card, and loan companies to consider similar moves, which will only be to their interest in the end, as this will avoid having unpaid debts and court cases.
It is just too easy for vulnerable people, on benefit or low income, to take up the tempting offers of credit, especially at Christmas, without realising that they will be in debt for the rest of their lives.