NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Apr 17, 2012) - The Credit Card Industry took a massive beating during the recent financial crisis. But things are looking bright for the industry in 2012 as all five of the major credit card companies have gains in the double-digits this year. With an improving economy and worries about a new economic downturn subsiding consumers look to be ready to spend, thus leaving credit card lenders feeling optimistic about the future. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Credit Services Industry and provides equity research on Discover Financial Services (NYSE: [ DFS ]) and American Express Company (NYSE: [ AXP ]). Access to the full company reports can be found at:

[ www.FiveStarEquities.com/DFS ]
[ www.FiveStarEquities.com/AXP ]

According to FICO's quarterly survey of bank risk professionals a large number of lenders expect the number of credit cards handed out to be larger than in the first few years coming out of the recession. "They need new customers," says Dr. Andrew Jennings, chief analytics officer at FICO and head of FICO labs. "Lenders have to get back to lending because basically they make money by lending." Jennings added, "We've also seen a recent uptick in the volume of scores used for mailings and credit card solicitations so that's another indication lenders are willing to lend."

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the Credit Services Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at [ www.FiveStarEquities.com ] and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

Discover Financial Services reported net income of $631 million for the first quarter of 2012, as compared to $465 million for the first quarter of 2011. Total loans grew $4.6 billion, or 9%, from the prior year to $56.3 billion. Credit card loans grew $1.6 billion to $45.9 billion and Discover card sales volume was up 7%. The delinquency rate for credit card loans over 30 days past due declined to 2.22% and the credit card net charge-off rate declined to 3.07%, each of which were record lows.

The board of directors of American Express Company recently approved a $0.02 -- or 11 percent -- increase in the quarterly dividend on the company's common stock. The dividend was raised to $0.20 a share, from $0.18, payable May 10, 2012 to shareholders of record on April 5, 2012.

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