U.S. consumers are more likely to apply for a credit card, and less likely to get rejected, than they were last year, according to a New York Fed survey. The card industry is growing even as the mortgage and auto lending sectors show signs of retrenchment.

Younger borrowers and those with lower incomes added the most to their card balances in the third quarter, according to a New York Fed report. Delinquency levels are also on the rise, a sign that more consumers are struggling to pay off higher debt loads.

Small-business owners need all the savings they can get, but the proposed legislation will ultimately cost consumers and entrepreneurs.

U.S. credit card balances surged to a record in the third quarter as banks bet that consumers with less-than-stellar credit will be able to handle more debt. 

The Federal Reserve's latest rate hike will cost Americans with outstanding credit card debt more than $5 billion in additional interest over the next 12 months, according to an estimate from the personal-finance site WalletHub.

Canadian merchants are now allowed to add a fee for Mastercard and Visa credit card transactions. But early indications suggest few will do so, fearing consumer backlash.

The credit card issuer is still dealing with the effects of a technical glitch in July that affected customer payment rates. But card sales rose in the most recent quarter, and the company is bullish about its positioning in the buy now/pay later market.

Nickels, which works with the credit union service organization Reseda Group, is using its $4 million seed funding to give financial institutions more visibility into consumers' debts.