Effects of informational nudges on consumer debt repayment behaviors

This study examines the impact of billing disclosure changes mandated by the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act on consumers’ decisions about their monthly credit card debt repayments. The study uses data from a nationally representative monthly survey of households from June 2006 through December 2011. Estimates show that the CARD Act disclosures were effective in inducing households to increase the amounts of credit card debt paid off each month, with the strongest effects seen in the proportion of households who pay off balances in full each month. Among households who continue to carry credit card debt, there is minimal evidence of repayment behavior changes due to CARD. Results are robust to controlling for selection into credit card ownership and to a variety of time controls and subsample periods.