Solving the credit crisis

For some, use of credit cards is a carefully planned luxury — perhaps used to ensure the accumulation of lots of airline or hotel points — for purchases that can be paid off within a month or two.

But for Tri-State Area residents between the ages of 18 and 34, a recent analysis of Federal Reserve data shows the use of credit cards feels like a necessity — and one that is causing them to rack up higher-than-average levels of debt. Along with those high levels of debt come high levels of delinquency, according to reports on the data by the Ohio Capital Journal and Upgraded Points, an Austin, Texas, website that studies ways consumers can maximize benefits from their credit card points and miles and conducts additional research.

“For millions of Americans, credit cards have become a lifelin