Credit Card Time Bomb Is Ticking Away

'his past summer's subprime meltdown involved about $900 bln in now-suspect securitized debt, reckless lending, and consumers who buckled under the weight of loans they couldn't afford. Now another link in the consumer debt chain - credit cards - is starting to show signs of strain. And the fear that the $915 bln in U.S. credit card debt (an uncannily similar figure) may blow up has major financial institutions like Citigroup (C), American Express, and Bank of America strapping on their Kevlar vests.'