have begun reducing the credit limits of customers who they perceive to be at risk of default. “If your credit limit is $10,000 on a small business account and they cut your credit limit in half, what do you do?†says Bill Hardekopf, founder of LowCards.com, a Birmingham, Alabama-based company that tracks credit card rates and practices. “You might need that extra $5,000 that they cut to order inventory or pay your bills while you wait for your cash flow to come in. It can have a devastating effect.â€
Kempf is confident that the legislation will pass, either this year or after being re-introduced next year, particularly in light of the current state of the economy. “Small businesses are the only part of the economy that is still actually creating jobs unlike everyone else who is shedding them,†he says. The House passed the bill 312-112.