How’re you doing. I’m Kevin Johnson.

Kevin Johnson is an entrepreneur, candidate for office, and according to American Express, a credit risk. Coming home from his honeymoon last year, he was shocked to find Amex had cut his credit limit from over 10,000 dollars to just 3,800 dollars.

“That’s why I was really shocked, because I’ve done a very good job of being responsible, making sure that I pay my bills on time.”

Even more surprising, one of the four reasons Amex gave for the decision. “Other customers who've used their cards at establishment where you recently shopped have a poor repayment history with American Express.”

“I was shocked when I read it, because I didn't know that companies could actually assess your creditworthiness based on others’ around you.”

With more than 10% of credit card customers defaulting on their debt, credit card issuers are trying to weed out the risky ones. How? By looking for changes in the way we shop.

“You're shopping from a middle or upper tier retail store and suddenly, it shows a purchase at a dollar store, some form of downshifting, suddenly shopping at Wal-Mart.”

Those red flags can lead to a deeper look at your behavior.

“And if you suddenly started exhibiting new consumer behavior and then you've made three or four purchases in a row, at a local bar. That would raise some flags and maybe there are some impending financial crisis.”

For its part, Amex says “we don't look at and never have looked at where someone shops to make a line reduction. The primary factor is someone’s overall debt level. And we also look at payment history with us, credit reports and FICO scores.”

Banking industry sources say credit scores are still the most important tool in predicting consumer behavior. But those scores don't reflect sudden life changes like job loss or divorce.

“All they can do is look at the actual volumes and transactions that are coming in and see changes in that pattern.”

For Kevin Johnson, the experience has motivated him to get involved and perhaps change the way banks work.

“No one should be penalized for the actions of others.”

Vocabulary:

1. creditworthiness: 信用狀況
2. downshifting: The act of reducing one's standard of living for an improved quality of life.
3. red flag: something that shows or warns you that something might be wrong, illegal etc
4. FICO score: A type of credit score that makes up a substantial portion of the credit report that lenders use to assess an applicant's credit risk and whether to extend a loan.