Data Reports Blog Posts

The credit card industry has many players, from credit card issuers, to credit card networks, to merchant acquirers. Each handles a different part of a credit card transaction, allowing customers to draw on a revolving line of credit at checkout.

According to the Nilson report, there were $932.85 billion in outstanding balances on credit cards in 2021. American Express saw the highest outstanding balances per card at $2,153, but had the lowest percentage of delinquencies among accounts that were carrying a balance.

Credit card issuers extend customers a revolving line of credit with which to make purchases. This amount can be drawn upon, paid off, and then used again so long as the account remains open and the credit limit isn’t exceeded.

A merchant acquirer is a financial entity, frequently a bank, that provides the settlement infrastructure for credit and debit card transactions. They also represent the backend of popular payment processing platforms like PayPal, Square, and Stripe, which in turn provide middleman services between the business and the merchant acquirer.

While businesses tend to interact directly with their payment processor, the processor is just one link in the credit card transaction process. The financial institutions that issue the cards provide the credit, while the credit card networks provide the infrastructure.

The Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions are fortifying their reputation as the best states for Black entrepreneurs, with the Gulf states of Louisiana and Florida joining their ranks thanks to an increase in Black business creation within their borders. This is the finding from Merchant Maverick’s annual report on the Best States for Black Entrepreneurs.

Despite tightening interest rates, companies founded or co-founded by women netted over $36.3 billion for the year ending in October, down from 2021’s $42.6 billion.

The average worker may be wondering what kind of impact this recession could have on job security. If you’re a construction worker, auto technician, sales rep, fabricator, or part of middle management, you may want to have a backup plan if things take a turn for the worse, particularly if you live in one of the states hit hardest by recent inflation. Medical professionals, public employees, and truckers have less to worry about.

Inflation is taking a big bite out of Americans’ purchasing power, but residents of Southern states may be feeling the hit to their wallets more intensely than elsewhere. Merchant Maverick’s inaugural report, The 10 U.S. States Where Inflation Is Hitting Consumers The Hardest, looks not only at where inflation is rising the fastest, but how much existing factors within a given state may contribute to the stress on a household budget.

In Merchant Maverick’s inaugural data report on The Best States In Which To Survive Recession, our analysis found that the states in the best condition to mitigate the effects of a recession aren’t where you might expect. Most of them, as it turns out, are in the Heartland.