Sentence examples for consumer credit lines from inspiring English sources

Dwindling consumer credit lines may become an even larger economic issue as time is running out for Uncle Sam's helping hand.

"I suspect consumer credit lines are being reduced, and consumers aren't taking out any more credit because they're already loaded up to the gills," said Joe LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank.

So even as many banks cut consumers' credit lines, raise card fees and generally pull back on lending, some lenders are trying to give customers a little wiggle room.

As bank industry analyst Meredith Whitney wrote in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed article, consumer credit card lines "were reduced by nearly $500 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008 alone".

Last week, at a House hearing on financial institutions and consumer credit, Republicans lined up to grill and attack Elizabeth Warren, the law professor and bankruptcy expert who is in charge of setting up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Meredith Whitney believes that unused lines of consumer credit will be cut and that new lines will be hard to come by in 2009.

"The consumer who carried us through the economic downturn is totally tapped, both on consumer credit and home equity line extensions, and interest rates are headed back up," he said.

Retailers seeking to boost sales previously aligned themselves with financing partners who sought to hoodwink consumers into adopting revolving credit lines built on compound interest, hidden fees and small print.

Its other divisions - Vanquis Bank, sub-prime car loan business Moneybarn and consumer credit brand Satsuma - are trading in line with expectations.

Since business borrowers have higher credit lines than consumers and it is harder to evaluate the risk of business borrowers, limiting a bank's ability to price for risk could mean higher costs and tighter credit.

In any case, on Tuesday Whitney said banks' recent quarterly reports confirmed her expectations regarding the rapid reduction in consumers’ credit card liquidity through pulled credit lines.