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GREENSBORO — Dede Carney remembers the day her older brother showed off his accordion-style wallet during a visit home. He stretched it open, revealing several feet of credit cards.

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"He must have had 25 cards," she said. He didn't use them. He just wanted to impress people by having them, she said.

Being a teenager, she thought, "Wow, I want to be just like that."

Now, with credit ratings plunging for people with too many cards, she knows how very wrong that would be.

Carney, a community volunteer from Greenville, wants to get the word out and help people avoid ruining their credit, trapping themselves in mountains of debt and running into other credit card dangers.

So she was in Greensboro on Thursday to join about 45 other leaders from public and private community service agencies across the state for a one-day seminar called "Credit Cards: What You Need to Know," sponsored by Consumer Action and American Express.

American Express sponsors the nationwide program created by Consumer Action, an independent agency that runs training programs, does consumer advocacy in Congress and offers direct services for consumers, including a Web site and a hot line.

The credit card industry has come under fire in the past several years from Congress and consumer advocates for aggressive tactics that include stiff late-payment penalties and unpredictable interest rates.

Some issuers have kept their heads low, refusing to discuss the issue.

But American Express decided three years ago to sponsor this program, which clearly exposes the fine print and tricks that trap some consumers.

"We view this as not only the right thing to do, but good business," said Rob Sherman, from public affairs and communications at American Express.

"It's also about making sure our customers are happy with our product," he said, and the more they know, the happier they'll be.

Although American Express is known for its charge card that requires the owner to pay the full balance each month, it also offers revolving credit cards that charge a continuing interest rate for longer payoffs.


But it doesn't rely on the more aggressive policies that many credit card companies use, said Linda Sherry, the director of national priorities for Consumer Action.

Sherry wants Congress to crack down on confusing card contracts, unlimited interest rate increases and other policies that baffle and hurt many consumers.

But consumers bear responsibility to know what they're doing and what to watch for too, she said. This program helps community leaders learn to teach the best practices in their own regions.

They also get a free curriculum packet and brochures in five languages from Consumer Action to give to clients. Such groups as legal aid societies, housing authorities and cooperative extension agencies are among the agencies involved. Consumer Action will be there with ongoing support if needed.

Carney, a Realtor by profession, is a member of the service-oriented Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and is its regional coordinator for the Financial Fortitude Initiative.

She was involved with Consumer Action before American Express joined the cause, she said, and she is a strong proponent of equipping people to make smart decisions.


In Greenville, she plans to set up a show on cable access television, do workshops in the community and begin spreading the program throughout the sorority's region.

She wants to be sure that young people get the right information up front, because impressions, like the one her brother made, can be crucial.

"It's just ingrained in me how important your first impression is," she said.

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or richard.barron@news-record.com