Card Ratings

We are a for-profit organization devoted to educating consumers about credit cards. We were founded on Aug. 15, 1998 in Little Rock, Ark. Our website, CardRatings.com, began operating the same month. Our organization was founded in response to a growing national backlash against credit card debt. Curtis Arnold, our founder and a nationally recognized consumer advocate, knows firsthand the devastating financial effect of credit card debt. He struggled with credit card debt for several years during and after his graduate studies in business at the University of Texas at Dallas. At one point, Curtis had more than $40,000 in card debt. We pioneered the concept of offering online ratings of credit cards in 1998. We are devoted to being the leading source of objective credit card rating information and are, in fact, the most comprehensive source for card data. We currently offer consumer information regarding approximately 500 unique credit card offerings, including a searchable database. We also offer consumer reviews of cards written by consumers throughout the country (new reviews can be added daily). We do not know of any other organization that offers more consumer reviews of credit cards. Disclosing such information often helps consumers find more attractive credit cards and, in turn, helps them lower their credit card debt. Another added benefit is that such disclosures encourage stronger competition among credit card issuers.