this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2024
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Economics

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  • Capital One is readying an acquisition of Discover Financial Services, according to The Wall Street Journal.
  • The deal would merge two of the largest credit-card issuers in the US.
  • Discover is coming off a difficult year after compliance lapses led to a CEO resignation.
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[–] Tolstoshev 50 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

What’s in your wallet?

A monopoly.

[–] reddig33 46 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Will the feds be asleep at the wheel again, and let this merger go through?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)
[–] Zenjal 9 points 10 months ago

ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

[–] Municipal0379 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Anticorp 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

*chair throwing intensifies

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

So this is how democracy ends

[–] Nerrad 34 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This not good news for consumers.

[–] Anticorp 20 points 10 months ago

I don't want my discover card to be owned by capital one. It's a good thing I have choices! Oh wait...

[–] shalafi 12 points 10 months ago

I have both cards and have been happy enough. But fuck me, this cannot be good for consumers.

Discover is coming off of a difficult year in which compliance lapses found in an internal review led to the resignation of its CEO.

Is THAT why Discover suddenly wanted my tax return data?

[–] reddig33 9 points 10 months ago

“Merger highlights the problem with big credit card companies”

https://www.axios.com/2024/02/20/problem-big-credit-card-companies

[–] esc27 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Many years ago, when I was first becoming an adult, I applied for a discover card as my first card. They rejected me for bad credit history, which was nonsense. I had no credit history and was applying for an entry level card that did not require any. I figured I must have made a mistake and applied again. Same response. Called, and they refused to be of any service, just called me a credit risk and ended the call.

So fine, I did some research, and applied for a card from capital one. I was approved, no questions asked, and even got a rate limit increase a year later.

I’ve held a grudge against Discover ever since, so while I recognize the danger, I cannot help but gloat to see the company that would not give me the time of day gobbled up by the one I had to turn to for that first card.

[–] hydrospanner 5 points 10 months ago

Another Discover hater here.

Many many years ago they bought some of my student loan debt and they've been impossible to try to work with. Even something as simple as shifting a due date by 3 days to better coincide with a pay schedule, or literally just to make it easier to pay them, they have been awful in every instance.

Of course since those early days I've changed jobs many times, tripled my pay, paid off 2 vehicles (the far more expensive of which was financed, ironically enough, by Capital One) and now have excellent credit, good income, etc. So now Discover floods me with mail to open a credit card with them...while still being fucking horrendous to deal with on the student loans!

The last time I actually had to talk to someone at discover they even tried to get me to sign up for a credit card on the call. The woman finally gave up when I told her that I'd rather lose everything and live on the street and survive on a diet of small bits of rocks and sticks than have any more business dealings with Discover.

[–] Stupidmanager 3 points 10 months ago

It’s not just you. I’m well into adulthood when I applied for a discover card. Got approved for a $800 credit limit. Yes, not a typo, $800. Today, that limit is $1200. but my capital one card which I acquired around the same time, $12000 to start and now it’s over 32k.

I never use my discover card and don’t care that this merger is happening.

[–] pdxfed 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Discover is a necessary also-ran. Capital One is only interested in predatory lending. I've applied for and been denied C1 cards the twice ive applied as I did not "have sufficient revolving credit balances", e.g. they wouldn't make money off me.

Hope FCC sues to block.

[–] hydrospanner 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Would it be the FCC or the FTC or the SEC?

[–] DoomBot5 -1 points 10 months ago

I see no reason the FCC would be involved. That person is clearly just butt hurt and doesn't know what they're talking about.