Banks rush to rescue of credit card trusts

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By Saskia Scholtes and Francesco Guerrera in New York

Record credit card losses are pushing big US banks to come to the rescue of off-balance sheet vehicles they use to transform hundreds of billions of dollars in consumer loans into securities sold to investors.

The support provided by Citigroup, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and American Express underscores how the deteriorating health of the US consumer is opening new fronts in the financial crisis.

Losses on US credit cards as measured by Moody’s Credit Card Index rose beyond 10 per cent of total loans outstanding in May, a new high in the 20-year history of the index and the sixth consecutive monthly record.

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