New rules meant to rein in credit card issuers took effect last week. Legislation passed by Congress in the spring was aimed at stopping abuses by card firms and banks. Check these sites for details.

Advocates' view. Consumers Union, which backed the legislation, provides a summary of the law, along with a number of horror-story testimonials from individuals who felt burned by their credit card companies - and explanations of how the new rules should correct the problems. Included is an instance of one person's rate jumping from 4.99 percent to 28.99 percent when a monthly payment was two hours late - and similar increases, apparently for no reason at all.

www.creditcardreform.org

Here's the White House fact sheet on the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act:

http://go.philly.com/ccfact

Backlash effect? Critics say consumers will collectively pay for the changes with higher prices as card companies, for example, raise fees for individuals while they squeeze retailers for higher payments. "Newton's law that every action has an equal and opposite reaction is certainly not lost on the credit card industry," writes retail-industry-watcher Evan Schuman in this article at CBSNews.com.

http://go.philly.com/ccback

Plenty of additional problems, such as "lower credit lines - or no credit at all - for some low- and moderate-income consumers," are pointed out in this May article on the site of the AARP.

http://go.philly.com/ccaarp

Complaint department. If you think your bank is not following the new rules, or if you have some other reason to complain, you can do so at the site of the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Click on "consumer complaints and assistance" on the left side of the page. Note: The resulting complaint page will not let you proceed if you answer "No" to the question asking if you have first complained directly to your bank.

www.occ.treas.gov

Contact staff writer Reid Kanaley at 215-854-5114 or rkanaley@phillynews.com.