CREDIT CARDS: Now They'll Need Wallets

"Aw, man, my credit card's maxed out, and I really wanted that Nintendo game." Such plaints may soon come from the mouths of adolescents. Denver's Young Americans Bank, which caters to youths, will start issuing a kids-only MasterCard this week to patrons who are at least twelve years old and can persuade an adult to co-sign. Cardholders will pay a membership fee of $15 and an 18.8% finance charge on unpaid balances, but the Kidcard's $100 credit limit seems to rule out wild shopping sprees. "This way, they build their own credit history," says bank vice president Cindy Culkin. "If they don't make the payments, they've blown it by themselves."

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TOMMY WARD, whose family has been harvesting oysters from the Gulf of Mexico since the 1920s, on the FDA's plan to ban the sale of raw oysters that are harvested in warm months; about 15 people die each year due to raw-oyster contamination
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Quotes of the Day »

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TOMMY WARD, whose family has been harvesting oysters from the Gulf of Mexico since the 1920s, on the FDA's plan to ban the sale of raw oysters that are harvested in warm months; about 15 people die each year due to raw-oyster contamination

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