But Nessa Feddis, vice president of the American Bankers Association, says it's not at all clear that lenders are targeting specific groups of customers.

NPR: Some Consumers See Credit Cards Canceled

Case in point: This week some notable scientist bloggers unloaded on a book review in the Guardian of The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carey.

FORBES: Epigenetics: The Revolution That Wasn't

Nessa Feddis, senior counsel with the American Bankers Association, said that banks tend to be sticklers about tax rules, because they operate in such a regulated industry.

WSJ: In Lieu of Toasters, Bank Customers Burned

Nessa Feddis, vice president and senior counsel at the American Bankers Association, said stay-at-home spouses and those working part time "lost ground in their effort to gain financial independence" when the Fed wrote the requirement.

WSJ: Moms May Benefit From Credit-Card Rule Fix

It was broadly welcomed across the political spectrum, with Czech Conservative MEP Milan Cabrnoch saying it puts "the patient on the same level as the doctor", and Irish Labour MEP Nessa Childers claiming the directive could help tackle the problem of fake and fraudulent medicines.

BBC: New law to report adverse effects of medicines