Understanding the CARD Act provisions.

On February 22, 2010, a number of new rules that implement the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (Credit CARD Act of 2009) went into effect. This federal law was passed in May 2009 and is designed to protect consumers. Some of the new rules already went into effect in August 2009 and more will be implemented in July and August 2010, but the majority of the new rules went into effect this week.

These new rules will affect the credit card industry in three key areas: the information that must be disclosed to customers; rates, fees and credit limits; and billing and payment practices. Details about these changes can be found at the Federal Reserve's web site.

As Citi implements the CARD Act provisions, our goal is to communicate credit card terms and changes in a clear way and provide customers with greater choice and more control. That's why, in addition to statement inserts and customer emails, we also provide customers with a variety of frequently asked questions on Citicards.com, and a resource center at usecreditwisely.com that offers interactive lessons, financial courses, articles and news updates on important credit card issues.

We encourage any customers who have concerns, or need to clarify any part of our communications, to contact the Citi Cards Customer Service number on the back of their credit card. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist customers in understanding more about these changes or answer other questions about your account.