By this time next year you'll be able to throw away the magnifying glass you used to read the fine print for credit card offers. The Federal Reserve Board is making card issuers use 18-point type to disclose credit card interest rates. The FRB said it is amending Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act, to revise the disclosure requirements for credit and charge card solicitations and applications. Under the final rule, the APR for purchase transactions must be in 18-point type. Cash advance and balance transfer APRs must be included in the table. Balance transfer fees must be disclosed either in or outside of the table. The FRB also said it has also included specific requirements on the "prominent" location of the disclosure table and the level of detail about cost information required or permitted in the table. The revisions are effective immediately; compliance is mandatory as of October 1, 2001. In May of this year, the Federal Reserve asked for public comment on a number of proposed amendments to Reg. Z including a requirement for disclosure on the specific events that trigger a punitive interest rate. For more information www.bog.frb.fed.us.