Factors in gaining compliance toward an acceptable level of personal unsecured debt

This paper proposes a conceptualization of factors that influence the ability of individuals to reduce their personal unsecured debt levels, especially credit card debt. As such the paper's conceptualization offers relationship lessons for bank marketers in the USA and the UK, where bank credit cards are a key element of many bank marketing programs. A key contribution is the paper's focus on customer compliance behavior in a personal unsecured debt management program. Factors discussed within our conceptualization are behavioral variables and psychological variables. Also examined is the role of geographic and demographic explanatory variables in personal debt management program success.