Some Chase credit card users report that their cards were unexpectedly canceled.

When trying to use the cards, they were declined and later informed that the card was closed. There seems to be a recent uptick in this activity, so keep a close eye on any Chase credit cards that you have.

So far, it's tough to say if this mostly affects Washington Mutual customers or if anybody with a Chase credit card is at risk. Wamu cardholders have plenty of complaints (see Wamu Cards Absorbed by Chase), but some longtime Chase customers have been fired as well.

I don't think there's a clear explanation why the cards were canceled. This is another sign of a scary environment where you should pay close attention to your credit, where you use your cards, and your monthly payments.

Further reading:

• What is Credit?
• Consumerist: Chase Cancels Your Credit Cards With No Notification
• What Factors Affect Credit?

Does that mean they'll cut your credit limit?

Banks know a few things about you: your name, address, and SSN... and what else?

Banks have a lot of information. What they make of that information may or may not be accurate.

Consider everything that happens in your bank account or with your credit card. You make payments to different businesses, your paycheck may be automatically deposited, and so on. With that information, banks make assumptions about who you are.

As technology improved (this is nothing recent) and the financial crisis made banks more skittish, "who you are" matters more and more. Banks and credit cards have cut credit lines based on transactions. For example, spending money at a certain pool hall makes them think you're a risky borrower, while buying birdseed makes them think you'll always pay on time.

Credit scores have traditionally done the job, but banks increasingly look at individual transactions - not just summary information about your borrowing history.

Why does this matter? You need to pay attention to what the bank knows about you and how you use accounts. Whether you agree with the practice or not, banks use data from your transactions (and those of thousands of others) to judge you.

Further reading:

• What Does Your Credit-Card Company Know About You?
• Audio: They Know You
• What is Credit?

Mint.com is a good way to keep track of your finances. The site uses data from your bank accounts (and other accounts) to help you figure out where your money comes from and where it goes.

Mint may also provide insight into the economy. We know that consumers have tightened their belts, but sometimes data is slow and inaccurate. Perhaps personal finance aggregators can help us get an idea of what's happening as they evolve?

Mint.com is compiling and releasing data on the second quarter of 2009. For Q1, users were tight-fisted, and Mint can show how much spending has changed in various categories. Of course, Mint.com users don't behave the same as all consumers (they're probably more web-savvy and pay more attention to their finances), but any information is good information.

As we get into a new quarter, it's a good time to check in on your spending in recent months. If you don't use a service like Mint, download your transactions - or at least scroll through them - to see where the money goes after it leaves your bank account.

A few personal finance bloggers have started podcasting.

I'm sure plenty of bloggers have been doing it for a while, but I've noticed two independent blogs starting (and continuing) to podcast:

• Consumerism Commentary
• The Simple Dollar

I haven't listened yet but I hope to hear them soon. Have you listened to these podcasts? How do you like them? What other personal finance bloggers have a good podcast? Please share your thoughts below in the comments.

Further reading:

• Personal Finance Podcasts