Chase Continues to Empower Consumers to Improve their Financial Success by Offering ’Clear & Simple’ Toolkit in Spanish

Chase ’Claro y Simple’ Initiative Leads the Industry in Providing Consumers Choice and Control in Managing their Personal Finances

Wilmington, Del., May 2008 - Chase Card Services continues to enhance its Clear & Simple initiative to empower consumers to take control of their personal finances by announcing the launch of its Spanish language Web site - Claro y Simple (www.chaseclaroysimple.com). Chase Clear & Simple is an industry-leading collection of innovative tools and resources designed to help consumers better manage their credit card accounts and empower them to make smart financial decisions.

According to a recent study by the Rockefeller Foundation, Hispanics were the top group concerned about their economic security, with almost 60 percent worried about getting out of debt.1 Chase’s Claro y Simple initiative helps address these concerns by providing financial tools and options that can help customers most effectively manage their credit card accounts so they can avoid fees, keep their best interest rates, control their spending and protect their access to credit. The new Web site also includes a wide variety of resources and information for those who prefer to have information in Spanish that can help strengthen consumers’ understanding and use of credit.

“We want to empower our customers with choice and control so that they can most effectively manage their accounts and achieve financial success,” said Tom O’Donnell, senior vice president, Chase Card Services. “Claro y Simple brings a broad set of resources and information to one site to help individuals make wise credit decisions and improve their financial future.”

Chase’s Clear & Simple initiative is a collection of customer-supporting tools, resources and business practices, including:

No Universal Default. Chase does not use credit bureau information to initiate an increase to a customer’s credit card interest rate.


Choice in Due Dates. Customers can select their own payment due dates to better schedule payments with paydays, commission checks, social security payments and other sources of income.


Spending Controls. Customers can cap or lower their credit lines to better manage spending.


Over-limit Protection. Customers can protect themselves against over-limit fees by choosing to have transactions declined that would cause the account to exceed its limit.


Credit Education. Chase provides easy, free access to a wide variety of budgeting tools and financial information targeted to students, singles, families, seniors, educators and members of the military.
Chase also offers its customers many account services and materials in Spanish. In addition to providing bi-lingual customer service and fraud protection representatives, customers can opt to receive billing statements, contractual agreements, privacy policies and other correspondence in Spanish to help them fully understand their accounts.

In addition to providing its own tools and resources to improve consumers’ financial literacy, Chase recently donated $1.3 million to empower more community-based organizations that directly help families improve their financial situations. Through the Chase Financial Literacy Grant Program, Chase has given nearly $4 million to more than 90 agencies nationwide over the past three years, including several that have supported bi-lingual credit education and counseling.

As a leader in the financial community, Chase offers customers what matters most to their financial well-being. Chase pledges advocacy, access, protection, recognition, and value in support of its customers’ financial needs.