In an article titled "One Hacker's Audacious Plan to Rule the Black Market in Stolen Credit Cards", Kevin Poulsen writes for the January 2009 issue of Wired about the black market world of stolen credit card data. "According to court documents, he picked his targets from the FDIC's Web site, choosing small regional banks and credit unions that couldn't afford top-notch security and pulling down virgin card numbers."

CardPartner, a New York-based company that works with nonprofits and other groups to offer branded Visa credit cards, has announced 12 new affinity credit card programs this week. This is in addition to more than 100 launched in the last nine months for nonprofits as diverse as Gilda’s Club New York City and Guide Dogs for the Blind. READ MORE »

It's not Christmas yet - but major retailers have begun announcing big promotions for their day after Christmas sales. Sears has announced it is cutting prices storewide -- even on big ticket items like electronics.

James Mbugua reports for the Nairobi Star that "four big local banks [in Kenya[ have formed an "ad hoc committee" to try and get M-PESA stopped." M-PESA, a mobile payments service offered by Safaricom, has been very successful - "The problem for the banks seems to be the extraordinary popularity of M-PESA. Launched in March 2007, it now has over 5,000,000 registered users and almost 5,000 registered outlets." [Editor's note: Hat tip to Dave Birch!]

• Bankrate.com: Beware of Card Tricks - All credit cards not created equal
• Poughkeepsie Journal: Schumer seeks to restrict fees on gift cards
• CreditCards.com: Do your homework when shopping for your first credit card
• Rapid City (SD) Journal: Credit card rules changes make sense
• CreditCards.com: Card issuers, customers 'maxed-out' in frustrating holiday season
• Bloomberg.com: Holiday Shoppers Shun Gift Cards on Concern Stores May Close