U.S. consumer credit card debt just passed an ominous milestone, beating a record set just before the global financial system almost collapsed in 2008, Bloomberg News reported. Outstanding card loans reached $1.02 trillion in June, data from the Federal Reserve show, as lenders including Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. compete to sign up cardholders who may carry balances — a relatively lucrative business in a prolonged period of low interest rates. Investors have been skittish over the potential for defaults to rise ever since card balances eclipsed $1 trillion in February. Credit card issuers Capital One Financial Corp., Synchrony Financial and Discover Financial Services said write-off rates ticked up in the second quarter from the previous three months.
