Administration aims for simpler credit card bills

The Obama administration is launching a new project aimed at simplifying credit cards agreements to make them easier to understand.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is testing a prototype agreement that the White House says is shorter and written in plain language. The bureau plans to test the new agreement with the Pentagon Federal Credit Union, one of the nation’s largest credit unions.

The White House says a recent study shows that about two-thirds of credit card users say they don’t completely understand how their cards work.

The announcement comes as the White House urges the Senate to confirm Richard Cordray to head the consumer bureau. Republicans have said they will block confirmation of anyone to head the agency until other regulators and Congress have more control over the bureau.