Due to the economic situation, sometime back I found myself with some rather delinquent credit cards, with one of those being a cincinnati reds credit card issued by HSBC (seperate from my original HSBC account). Unable to send full payment, I sent a token payment and informed them I would try if possible to send such payments until I was once again able to resume making regular payments. Needless to say, this was of course not satisfactory with the creditor. I have exhausted every other possibility I could think of with the only other choice being bankruptcy. A choice I would rather not make however, current circumstances may leave me no other alternative.

Today we were notified by HSBC that "due to the current economic environment" our credit limit was reduced to $1, 500 on our MasterCard. Today, in response, we paid off the $500 low interest rate balance and filed the card away. HSBC issues the private label Union Plus MasterCard which my husband and I have jointly owned since August 1988. Over the years, due to our impeccable credit history and never by our solicitation, the limit has been increased to $12, 000. We still have impeccable credit, paying our balances in 30 days, paying far more than the minimum payment on this low interest rate balance, are never late on payments and have minimal utilization of credit limits. This is how we have handled our credit for 35 years in our "economic environment". We will not close the line of credit on this account because that would adversely affect our credit score but we do not intend or need to use the HSBC issued card. Perhaps we will get more of these ill-conceived limit reduction notifications, with their arbitrary reasons for adverse action, from other desperate credit card companies. If we do, we will "retire" their card with the Union Plus MasterCard issued by HSBC.

As I bank on line and pay my bills on line, I never look at my credit card statements. Because I know what I buy and I know what my balance is. Recently, I wanted to cancel my Account protection payments. I discovered, along with this monthly fee, I was being billed $9.99 for Identity Theft Protection. I was getting called sometimes 4 times per day and offered this service. I always declined it. When I call the company to complain and cancel the charge, the person I was talking to, kept trying to sell me the product. Finally I demanded to see a signed order form or a voice recording for ordering the product. They pass the buck to HSBC. When I called them and demanded proof, I got the run around and when I demanded to have a voice recording of my ordering th product, they said that they did not have it. When I asked what proof they had of me ordering the Identity Theft protection, I was told that they called me and asked me a personal question, what city I was born in, which is in their data base as one of my secret security questions, and that was the only proof they had.

Total rip-off. They need to be sued!

I have been 100% percent disabled from Type I diabetes complications since 2005. 95% of my SSA and SSI income goes to pay for the special care I need. My physician has written to HSBC Services giving them a full listing of the complications and of my inability to pay on this unsecured debt. I have been threatened by HSBC Services and this puts my health at further risk for additional complications besides retinopathy, kidney dysfunction, poor circulation in the lower extremities, and a stroke which came on in December 2004.