There is dire economic news out there &endash; 11 percent unemployment in North Carolina, drastic losses of state construction jobs, business credit is harder to come by.

The first two provisions of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (“CARD”) Act of 2009 went into effect Thursday, August 20, 2009. The CARD Act is designed to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive practices by credit card companies.