News10 investigation: Monroe County credit card debt lawsuits reached $1.3 million in just four days this year
Fatima holds a Bachelor's in Sociology and Communications from the University at Buffalo and has spent four years reporting on community issues for Rochester's grassroots publications. Her deep engagement with local neighborhoods informs her storytelling.
More from Fatima →
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Hundreds of credit card debt lawsuits are filed every month in Monroe County, highlighting the growing affordability crisis. What the affordability crisis looks like Alex Hixson of Spencerport said he and his wife built up roughly $20,000 in credit card debt over several years. It limited, obviously it limited what we could do, Hixson said. Hixson, who is not among the lawsuits filed in state supreme court, said the debt grew from choosing to swipe cards instead of paying cash. He said he paid off the debt by tackling the smallest amounts first, calling it baby steps. If you take out the small monsters first, you can build yourself up to then be able to take out the big ones, Hixson said. 4 days $1.3 million News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean tracked credit card lawsuits filed in Monroe County over two months. In just one day, August 12, the total amount of unsecured debt in lawsuits reached $315,000. Over four random days this