Consumers and Debit 2011:
Cardholders Reacting in Slow Motion

Report probes consumer attitudes and use of debit

Boston, MA -- Fourth in a series of eight consumer survey reports examining payment and banking topics, Mercator Advisory Group's new research, Consumers and Debit 2011: Cardholders Reacting in Slow Motion, examines account changes, fees paid, and experiences noted by consumers; the advantages of cash versus debit use; and participation in and usage of debit rewards programs.

Because debit usage is undergoing major changes at many issuers that are driven by new economic rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, the reactions of debit cardholders will prove critical to this product's evolution. In this CustomerMonitor survey, Mercator Advisory Group continues its analysis of consumer usage of debit cards, perceived changes to those cards, and awareness of the regulatory changes now affecting card programs.

This research presented in this report is based on a national sample of 1,012online consumer survey responses completed from May 19 through 24, 2011.

Highlights of this report include:

Long-term outlook on debit cardholding and usage.

Consumer awareness of new regulations affecting debit interchange.

Consumer knowledge of new fees and how they view them.

Consumer perceptions regarding checking account fees and their options to avoid them.

"What is apparent in our survey results is a slowly forming consumer awareness of debit program changes, while at the same time very little in the way of consumer wavering from commitment to debit usage," states Ken Paterson, VP for Research Operations at Mercator Advisory Group and the author of the report. "Account changes and consumer reactions driven by the Federal Reserve's Regulation II are clearly playing out over an extended timeline."

One of 15 exhibits in this report:

The report is 29 pages long and contains 15 exhibits.

Members of Mercator Advisory Group's CustomerMonitor Survey Series have access to this report as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access and other membership benefits.

Please visit us online at www.mercatoradvisorygroup.com.

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About Mercator Advisory Group
Mercator Advisory Group is the leading, independent research and advisory services firm exclusively focused on the payments and banking industries. We deliver pragmatic and timely research and advice designed to help our clients uncover the most lucrative opportunities to maximize revenue growth and contain costs. Our clients range from the world's largest payment issuers, acquirers, processors, merchants and associations to leading technology providers and investors. Mercator Advisory Group is also the publisher of the online payments and banking news and information portal PaymentsJournal.com.