BANKING & FINANCE - March 4, 1993

Study Ranks Top States for Credit Card Issuers: Several states are attracting credit card issuers by relaxing restrictions on rates and fees and offering a friendlier legal environment, according to a DRI/McGraw Hill survey. The survey, underwritten by MasterCard International Inc., ranked the top 10 states for credit card issuers as follows: South Dakota, Nebraska, Delaware, Utah, Florida, Arizona, Virginia, Nevada, Ohio and Georgia. The 10 worst states, according to the survey, are Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maine, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Jersey, Kansas, Wisconsin, California and Michigan. In conducting the survey, DRI said it considered restrictions on financing rates and late fees, the cost of doing business, the quality of life and the legal environment.