Average late payment fees crossed the $23.00 mark according to the latest data released by CardData (www.carddata.com). Based on February pricing statistics, late payment fees now average $23.22 industry wide. Among the nation's top ten issuers late payment fees average $26.50, with $29.00 as the most commonly charged late fee. The surge this year has been driven by MBNA and First USA. One year ago the average late payment fee stood at $19.33 according to CardData. Over-the-limit fees also continue their climb. According to CardData, over-the-limit fees now average $22.40 industry wide compared to $18.53 one year ago. Other fees such as cash advance fees and annual fees are also rising steadily. Over the past eighteen months a number of new fees have been introduced such as balance transfer fees, dormancy/inactivity fees, account closing fees, customer service/participation fees and monthly membership fees. The upcoming April issue of CardTrak (www.cardtrak.com) will examine the rise in cardholder fees as well as recent policy changes affecting cardholders.

                      FEE  HISTORICAL
Period           Late Fee            Over-limit Fee
Feb 94:          $11.94                 $12.54
Feb 95:          $12.66                 $12.83
Feb 96:          $13.27                 $13.19 
Feb 97:          $15.01                 $14.72
Feb 98:          $19.33                 $18.53
Feb 99:          $23.22                 $22.40
	Source: CardData (www.carddata.com)