The little plastic rectangle that owns your soul — and the government helped.
FRONTLINE and The New York Times examine how the credit card industry became so pervasive, so lucrative, and so politically powerful.
Writing
Lowell Bergman doing what he does best: making villains squirm.
Production
Classic FRONTLINE precision — 54 minutes, zero fat.
Director
David Rummel
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This aired months before the 2004 election and barely made a dent — predatory lending was bipartisan business.
The 'universal default' clause they expose? Congress finally banned it in 2009 — five years and one financial crisis later.
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