$(document).ready( function () { talk_rendercallback({"enabled":"1","islive":"0","eid":5718,"total":"6","discussion":[{"nm":"Lucas K","rs":"0","ms":"I\'m troubled by anyone who characterizes a bank as a "barracuda" or as a "loan shark." When did we in society loose our sense of self respect, of dignity and honesty. I worked at Providian for nearly 5 years. I talked to many customers who babbled on about how we were terrible because we wouldn\'t lend them any more money. Then they turned around and called us jerks and pigs and liars and cheats and users. YOU be responsible for YOU! Take care of yourself. Providian offered a utility product. Dr. Mehta was exactly right. It was a useful product that people abused and then blamed the provider. Providian was a great company to work for. They had the best customer service and some of the most honest disclosure. "YOU" are the problem if you cannot or choose not to read and understand the offer terms. ","pt":"Mar  8, 2010 15:29"},{"nm":"Antonio","rs":"0","ms":"The comments of Christy K trouble me, because this seems to reflect the attitude of the finanacial industry as a whole. I do not believe any fair minded individual can say that the problems in the industry rest solely with the consumer.  Is anyone, outside the business, really expected to read and understand the myriad of disclosure statements(written in legalese), regularly inserted into our monthly statements? I have had, and continue to have a near perfect 20 year credit history. However, I do not see it as a fair business practice to pile on fees on those we less than stellar credit in the name of profit. Every business is entitled to reasonable profits, not the greed most of America sees as the banking industry.    ","pt":"Feb 14, 2010 19:47"},{"nm":"Christy K","rs":"0","ms":"I worked at Providian for 13 years. At one point I sat outside Mr. Mehta\'s office as his back-up personal assistant. I can only say that he was, and is, a great man and I remember him fondly. He was a great leader and created a company with a culture that rewarded innovation. At no time did I ever work on a project or credit card offer I wouldn\'t have signed myself. I think people need to be responsible for their own actions and have accountability. If you are signing a legal contract, you should take the time to read and understand it or ask questions. ","pt":"Jan 29, 2010 23:26"},{"nm":"Lydia Allotey","rs":"0","ms":"I want to thank the producers of Frontline for this report which I caught during its recent airing on PBS. I had suspected as much, but could never confirm that this was an actual business model companies like Providian Financial banks were using.  Another credit card company that Frontline might have interviewed is Capital One which is the same kind of atrocious company as Providian. The solution is the public\'s mindset, until we take the position to only purchasing what we budget for; and when it is really needed, then we will always fall victim to these barracudas. In my opinion it should be illegal to receive any unsolicited offer from a credit card company. It should be also be illegal for the companies like Experian and company to sell our credit data to anyone for the purpose of allowing them to categorize us and target us. Until our representatives in Washington give us this kind of protection we will always be at the mercy of these usurious institutions. After watching this program I am even going to re-think how I use my personal DEBIT card. Frontline keep up the good work, I only wish many more people had the opportunity to watch your programs!","pt":"Jan 29, 2010 09:55"},{"nm":"Jon Gutek, JD/CPA","rs":"0","ms":"It seems to me that this Frontline program misses the main point; the essential nature of the American public.  I suggest that Frontline talk to the woman who got a new payday loan every week for five years.  No federal or other protection can protect people like this and two-thirds of people (who carry credit card balances) are like this woman.  If you put the payday lenders out of business, the loan sharks take over.  The American way is to spend more than you earn and nothing will ever change that.","pt":"Jan 27, 2010 22:27"},{"nm":"Bruce","rs":"0","ms":"These loan sharks should be jail.","pt":"Jan 26, 2010 22:23"}]}); });