Inside E Street
Guests
Jim Chessen
James Chessen is the chief economist and group director for the American Bankers Association. Mr. Chessen oversees three divisions: Economic & Policy Research, the eStrategies group, and the Surveys & Statistics Group. Additionally, Mr. Chessen writes on banking issues and has testified before the U.S. Congress and federal regulatory agencies on economic and banking issues.
Keith Epstein
Keith Epstein, a writer in BusinessWeek’s Washington Bureau, specializes in cyber security, military and intelligence, aviation, and health care. A Washington-based investigative reporter since 1986, his work has included stories on cyber espionage, microlending, and the “poverty business.”
Chris Dodd (D-CT)
A senior Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, Chris Dodd serves as the Chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. Sen. Dodd has worked to maintain our government’s fiscal responsibility since he joined Congress in 1974. He has offered “pay as you go” budgets, restored fiscal discipline in the 1990s and has been a strong supporter of campaign finance reform.
Ellen Davis
As vice president of the National Retail Federation, Ellen Davis is NRF’s key communications specialist, conducting analysis of consumer research and industry trends. The NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association and is dedicated to advancing and protecting the interests of the retail industry.
Resources
National Retail Federation website
The ABA’s guide to credit cards
For easy-to-understand information about credit and other financial matters, check out credit.com
US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs website
Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act (download pdf and read with free Adobe Acrobat)
The ABA’s guide to credit cards
For easy-to-understand information about credit and other financial matters, check out credit.com
US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs website
Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act (download pdf and read with free Adobe Acrobat)
Additional links
- Beware of Free Credit Reports (AARP Bulletin)
- Maxed Out – Documentary About Credit Card Debt
- Interview with director James Scurlock of Maxed Out (Prime Time Radio, May 8, 2007)
- The government's guide to help you become an educated and savvy consumer (Federal Trade Commission)
- When the credit markets lose confidence: (Wall Street Journal)
- Read the fine print! (Time Magazine)
- Tips on how to protect your credit, from the U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission
Inside E Street Archives
Cunning lenders or irresponsible consumers?
Jim Chessen of the American Bankers Association and Keith Epstein of BusinessWeek Magazine debate the credit industry’s practices and consumer responsibility.
Segments
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, tells us why it’s important for consumers to be protected against irresponsible credit practices.
A closer look at what Congress is doing about it
We’re joined again by Sen. Dodd to talk about his legislation, The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act.
Buying patterns change for this holiday season
As the economy shifts, so do consumers buying habits. How will tighter wallets affect Christmas shopping, the most important time of year for retailers? For this, we turn to Ellen Davis, vice president of the National Retail Federation.
The Host
Through most of her distinguished reporting career, Sheilah Kast has focused on the economy and workplace and how they affect people's lives. Well known to viewers of public television, ABC News, and CNN, she has covered the White House and Congress.
Kast also reported on the Washington aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Her stories included an investigation of anthrax in the mails and the struggles of bereaved Pentagon families to secure benefits.
At The Washington Star, in her first reporting job, Kast covered financial regulation, taxes, and energy. Her expertise in these important issues eventually led her to start a national public-television show, "This Week in Business," which she hosted in association with Business Week magazine.
Ms. Kast is a skilled interviewer. She has often hosted NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and has her own current-affairs interview show on public radio in Maryland.
Contact Us
Inside E Street - AARP
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E-mail: estreet@aarp.org
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