Credit card companies have a record of everything you like to buy, and guess what?

FORBES: Your credit card is a window to your soul

Credit-card delinquency in America rose to a record high in the second quarter of 2005, according to the American Bankers Association.

ECONOMIST: Buttonwood

Small businesses like City Newsstand don't typically record the names and contact information of their customers and payment-card companies discourage businesses from keeping credit-card data.

WSJ: Hackers New Target: Small Firms With Lax Security

In a society which is seeing record levels of debt, it is interesting that the Chancellor announced new legislation which will enable HMRC to introduce a credit card payment "service".

BBC: Money Talk