With the rough economic times facing all of us, many consumers have been shocked to find that credit card companies and lenders have increased the cost of borrowing by charging higher interest rates. In October, 2008, for example, customers of Alliance and Leicester found that the repayment terms for their credit cards from this lender increased from the lesser of 3% of the outstanding balance or £5 to the greater of £25 or £5 in addition to the interest charges. Making the minimum monthly pay