Economic Issues Gaining Importance Politically; Gallup's economic data suggest the consumer credit crunch is getting worse.
Byline: Dennis Jacobe Synopsis: Exit polls show that economic conditions were important to New Hampshire voters in the Republican and the Democratic primaries. Gallup data suggest that this focus on the economy is likely to increase in the weeks and months ahead. PRINCETON, NJ --...

TransUnion and SubscriberWise(R) Announce Joint Marketing Agreement.
CHICAGO, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- TransUnion and SubscriberWise(R) have entered into a joint marketing agreement designed to promote the benefits and utilization of subscriber risk management solutions for the cable industry. The joint marketing efforts will focus on sales and educational initiatives aimed at independent cable operators. ...

BSP expects non-performing loans of banks to rise this year.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. sees non-performing loans (NPL) rising this year - inevitable with the generally cautious business sentiments - but bad loans' growth will remain in the single-digit level. "We're still hoping that (the numbers) will stay where it...

Consumer Credit Market Perceptions: Best in Two Years; Still, a majority of Americans say now is a bad time to spend money.
Byline: Dennis Jacobe Synopsis: The January Experian/Gallup Personal Credit Index poll shows consumers' perceptions of the credit markets at their highest levels since February 2005. This is good news for consumer spending, but will tumbling real estate prices produce a negative "wealth effect" and limit consumer buying...

Debt Settlement USA's Rising Consumer Debt Index Fueled by Skyrocketing Mortgage and Consumer Loan Delinquency Rates.
PHOENIX, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Debt Settlement USA, a leading debt settlement company, today reported that the Consumer Debt Index (CDI) for the third quarter of this year stood at 13.55, up more than 6.5 percent since the end of the second quarter and nearly 30 percent since the...

Consumer Confidence Takes a Tumble in Mid-January; Early January preliminary index of consumer sentiment already out of date.
Byline: Dennis Jacobe Synopsis: New Jan. 19-20 Gallup polling shows consumer expectations at their lowest point since Gallup began measuring expectations in July 1991. Although it's early, so far, talk of interest-rate cuts and federal rebates have not made consumers feel better about the future direction of...

Nearly One-Third of Credit-Card Owners Hold High Balances; Six in 10 credit-card owners pay off their credit cards monthly.
Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Thirty percent of credit-card holders say they have a balance of more than $2,000, and 19% say their balance exceeds $5,000. PRINCETON, NJ -- Forty-three percent of American credit-card holders say they always pay off the full balance on...

Most Consumers Say Economy Getting Worse; Fed's actions under Bernanke continue to trail consumer psychology.
Byline: Dennis Jacobe Synopsis: A Jan. 4-6 Gallup Poll shows that more than three in four consumers feel the U.S. economy is getting worse, not better. Even if the Federal Reserve Board cuts rates later this month, it may still be behind the curve. PRINCETON,...

Consumers, Investors, Small-Business Owners Positive on Economy; So why do so many consumers think economic conditions are getting worse, not better?
Byline: Dennis Jacobe Synopsis: New Gallup Polls show consumers rating current economic conditions as the best in six years, investor optimism at its highest point in three years, and consumer credit perceptions and small-business-owner optimism at new highs. So why do so many consumers say the economy...

US job growth strong; new rate hike seen certain.
Byline: TIM AHMANN WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (Reuters) US job growth picked up last month as employers added 207,000 workers to their payrolls, a healthy gain that led Wall Street to increase bets on more rate rises from the Federal Reserve. The Labor Departments July employment...