Some stores hit with more credit card delinquencies

Many retailers have a store-branded credit card, a strategy to encourage shoppers to spend more in their stores. The majority, though, have unloaded their credit card portfolios to banks in recent years, meaning that much of the profits and the risk on the store-branded card belong to the partner bank.

Yet, Target and Nordstrom, a part of a scattering of added retailers, defied this trend, which looked like a acute move if times were good. Retail acclaim cards about allegation absorption ante of 20% of more, abundant college than added acclaim cards, says Curtis Arnold, architect of CardRatings.com, a website that ante acclaim cards. The college ante accommodate a bigger addition to issuers' profits.

But when the economy sours, these rates can make it harder for consumers to pay their bills, pushing charge-offs -- when banks give up on collecting debt -- on retail cards higher and faster than on general purpose cards.

Now, analysts say Target and Nordstrom would be hard pressed to get decent offers on their card portfolios, though Target sold just under half its card business earlier this year.