Credit card regulations are making it a little easier to understand what interest and penalty rates banks charge. But a study released Monday says card offers are still far more complicated than a decade ago, which makes it harder for consumers to comparison shop.
The complexity is due to more fees and multiple interest rates for different types of balances, says the Center for Responsible Lending. The average disclosure on card offers included 13 numbers in 1999 and 33 numbers a decade later. Since new regulations kicked in, the average dipped to 26 numbers.
That’s still far more than an individual can process, creating information overload for consumers trying to compare offers, the study says.