BEIJING, Aug. 31 -- Latest figures from the People's Court in Huangpu District of Shanghai show an increase in cases of credit card debt on the part of those aged under 30.

"These young free-spenders are very often unemployed, " regretted Li Ming, an executive Judge from the Court, "creating a problem for their low-income families."

"My two sons and I are all out of work, and our family can only just maintain a basic life upon the slender income my husband earns from security work for a company," sobbed the mother of Xiao Yang, when Li Ming paid a visit to her home at 6 Monday morning.

Xiao Yang is already in his thirties. However, he is still living a do-nothing life.

Xiao Yang will face compulsory administrative measures for violating the law relating to the use of credit cards, unless he pays debts of over 8,000 yuan (US$968) before the end of the notice period.

In the past six months, the People's Court in Huangpu District has heard almost 800 cases relating to credit card debt, more than the total for the whole of last year.

Among these cases, 20 percent of the card holders were born in the 1980s and another 30 percent were aged under 30.

"Many young people regard credit cards as being for daily use, rather than for use in emergencies. " analyzed Li Ming.

Years ago, several banks transferred their credit card businesses to specialised card-handling companies, so as to quicken their expansion and meet their business targets.

The huge commission on successful deals, however, blinded these companies, and as a result the essential auditing of the credit-worthiness of applicants was neglected.

What is worse, in consideration of their costs, local banks seldom refer to the city's credit-evaluation system, which has a mature database of credit information on individuals and companies, added Li Ming.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)