U.S. stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are trading in positive territory after one of the nation’s largest financial institutions is able to raise hoards of capital.
Reports indicate that Bank of America (BAC) rose nearly $13.47 billion through the sale of 1.25 billion shares of stock. This is in addition to the $7.3 billion raised from the sale of a business in Asia earlier this month. The financial giant is more than halfway toward raising the $33.9 billion in capital the government is requiring as result of its stress tests. This news sent financial stocks up in morning trading, the Financial Select SPDR (XLF) gained nearly 0.3% in intraday trading; BAC is 6.2%.
In an attempt to bring more transparency to the credit card world, the House is set to pass a bill, that the Senate already passed, that will ban arbitrary credit card rate hikes, states Anne Flaherty of the Associated Press.
This new law will make it easier for consumers to understand how credit card companies assign fees, alter interest rates and implement their method of billing. The bill also states that a consumer must be greater than 60 days late on a payment before seeing a rate increase on an existing balance, and even then, the lender will be required to the previous lower rate if the consumer pays the required minimum balance on time. This measure will most definitely help consumers during hard times.