The race to provide coronavirus relief for small businesses is opening new routes to fund payments, including underused credit lines.

Since March, issuers have tightened their criteria for opening new accounts and closed millions of existing ones in hopes of avoiding waves of defaults.

The online retailer is reportedly set to push its biggest shopping event of the year from July to as late as September. The move could impact credit unions' card volumes.

Credit card and debit card spending have improved for several weeks in a row, according to a report from PSCU.

The drop is likely from both a decline in consumer demand and lenders becoming more cautious, according to CompareCards.

Unlike past economic recessions where businesses and consumers have had to adjust their payment habits and debt levels over the course of months or quarters as the economy shrank, the coronavirus-induced economic crisis has forced many to make much more abrupt financial adjustments.

The agency has freed companies from reporting requirements and provided flexibility on exams to help them deal with COVID-19 fallout. It has also finished other regulatory relief efforts that were in the pipeline before the pandemic hit.

American Express Chief Executive Steve Squeri said a majority of the company’s employees will work remotely through 2020 as it seeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

A report from CO-OP Financial Services showed how credit union members' spending patterns adapted to social distancing during April.

With the pandemic's economic toll leading to elevated billing error notices, the consumer bureau said card companies will not be cited if they fail to meet the typical time frame for resolving disputes.