Curtis Arnold, a nationally recognized consumer educator and advocate, has been educating consumers about credit cards since 1998. New! Curtis is the author of "How You Can Profit from Credit Cards: Using Credit to Improve Your Financial Life and Bottom Line" (FT Press, 2008).

Curtis is regularly interviewed and quoted by respected members of the national press regarding consumer credit issues. A partial listing of sources who have interviewed Curtis include:"

Click here for a complete listing of 100+ media outlets that have included quotes by Curtis.

Curtis is also quoted extensively in Live Well on Less Than You Think: The New York Times Guide to Achieving Your Financial Freedom by Fred Brock.

Consumer Advocacy Memberships

Curtis has a particular passion for educating students about credit. He serves on the Advisory Board for The Center for Consumer Financial Services at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), which provides national leadership and research related to student credit issues. He also regularly speaks on college campuses about credit issues. Finally, he currently serves as co-chair of the Arkansas chapter of the Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy, which seeks to educate students about personal finance issues. Special thanks to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (and presidential candidate) for signing Jump$tart's proclamation during the 2006 legislative session- click here to view a pic of the proclamation signing ceremony!

Curtis participates in other consumer advocacy groups with various missions. For example, he contributes on a weekly basis to CreditBloggers, a blog where leading financial experts discuss credit, loan, debt and identity theft topics. Curtis also is a member of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending, a coalition of Arkansans dedicated to combating abusive payday lending practices. Finally, Curtis is a member of the Financial Literacy Education Consortium (FLEC), a community of professionals concerned with "best practices" for the delivery of financial education to their constituents.

Kudos

We are proud that Curtis recently helped with a segment on CNN News regarding gas rebate credit cards. Please click the CNN logo below to watch the interview online!

We are also proud that Curtis has been recognized as one of the most intriguing business and political leaders under 40 years old by Arkansas Business Newspaper (2005 "40 Under 40" Awards).

We are proud that Curtis has been invited to be a guest speaker at The 2007 Responsible Credit Roundtable. The roundtable provides a forum for credit card industry and non-profit stakeholders to devise, test and implement ways to improve communication and account practices to build value for both companies and customers.

Originally founded five years ago as the Responsible Credit Partnership with support from The Saint Paul Foundation, the initiative was acquired by The Center for Financial Services Innovation in January 2007. New members have been added to its distinctive mix of card issues, networks, risk assessors, counselors, and academics, as the group builds on it existing track record to identify and promote the most effective tools and strategies for serving the underbanked market.

Finally, we are proud that Curtis was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion regarding Hispanic credit concerns at a national conference in LA. The conference was hosted by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Founded in 1968, NCLR is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, DC.

Prior Work Experience/Extracurricular Activities:

Curtis pursued his undergraduate studies at Ouachita Baptist University and participated in Governor Bill Clinton's prestigious Governor's Scholars Program. He then pursued his graduate studies in business at the Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Univ. of Texas at Dallas. Curtis had many years of work experience in the financial services industry prior to founding CardRatings.com in 1998. He has worked in various capacities for Advancial Federal Credit Union, Regions Bank, and Metropolitan National Bank. In addition, Curtis gained some valuable "eBusiness" experience by working for Intelemedia Communications, an eBusiness solutions provider located in the high tech Telecom Corridor of Dallas.

Curtis enjoys being involved in community organizations in the Little Rock area. He serves on the Board of Directors for Arkansas Festival Ballet. He has been a member of Toastmaster's Intl., where he achieved Competent Toastmaster (CTM) status, the West Little Rock Rotary Club, Techpreneur, a nonprofit organization that encourages technological entrepreneurship and the Little Rock Bop Club. Curtis is also an active member of The Summit Church in North Little Rock.

Last, but not least, Curtis cherishes his family life. His wife, Nancy, serves as the accounting supervisor for CardRatings. Curtis and Nancy have five children! The newest addition, Claire Patrice Arnold, was born this past January and is being held by her big sis Avery! :-)

This page last updated on 7/07.