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Fair Investment Company : Brits' love for credit cards will not falter in the New Year despite predictions of more careful spending habits, Datamonitor has said. The research company predicted Brits will also be richer in 2006, with more than one million people having over £200,000 stashed away in the bank. However, people will still be spending more on credit cards amid contrasting predictions which forecast financial rearrangement and the desire to pay off debts quickly. Datamonitor has said card spending will increasingly replace cash and has predicted that UK consumers will spend more than £500 billion on plastic cards in 2006. Debit cards will make up the bulk of spending, meaning that personal debt should rise at a slower rate, according to Datamonitor. The research company says debt in 2006 will rise by only four per cent. © Adfero Ltd

Fair Investment Company : Brits fail to take basic precautions, leaving them open to credit card theft, a credit reference agency has said. Callcredit says Brits only need follow four simple steps to ensure the safety of their cards – but over a third fail to do so. The credit reference agency says Brits should: shred personal documents before discarding them; check their credit file regularly; have different passwords for financial accounts and cancel unwanted credit facilities. MyCallcredit director Alison Nicholson says: "ID theft is one of the fastest growing types of fraud in the UK yet our research shows people aren’t taking the necessary steps to protect themselves." People in the north-east are the most conscientious according to the survey while those in the south are less likely to be as vigilant at checking their credit files. Residents in Yorkshire were found to be the most careless with their PIN numbers, putting themselves at a high risk of theft. © Adfero Ltd