First off, I want to say thanks to Ben and Meghann for giving me an opportunity to blog for The Consumerist.

There was an interesting article I found on MSN yesterday that highlighted a recent survey conducted by Experian, the credit agency. The survey found that 14% of Americans carry more than 10 credit cards.

Anyway, some other the highlights from the survey:

• 51% of Americans who have established credit own two credit cards, up from 49% in 2004.
• The average American holds four credit cards, up from 3.2 in 2004.
• The average credit score nationally dropped to 674, from 678 in 2004.
• The average score for those who use at least 50% of their credit rose to 645 from 631 in 2004.
• Fewer Americans — 14% — are using 50% or more of their available credit than in 2004, when 16% did. These high users have credit scores about 30 points below the national average.

— JLP

1 in 7 Americans Carry 10 or More Credit Cards [MSN Money]
Experian’s National Score Index [Experian]
(Photo: Maulleigh)

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