The list of new protections for credit-card users is a dismaying reminder of how many sleazy, creepy practices were devised to filch money from unsuspecting consumers.

The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act that went into effect on Monday infuses all those routine transactions with a measure of transparency that has been missing at great expense to American households.

Certainly consumers are responsible for using credit wisely, but the rules and gimmicks have been stacked against the most financially vulnerable in a down economy. Even the most fastidious credit users have been gouged by murky rates and fees.

Federal regulations will stop retroactive rate hikes, deceptive late fees, over-the-limit fees and payment application abuses. Game playing with billing procedures is supposed to end, and card users are to receive advance warnings on rate and payment changes. Payment times and dates are stand-ardized.

Remember, the legislation did not cap interest rates — usury laws went away with Reagan-era inflation — and there is no prohibition on assessing creative new fees. Expect the lights to burn late in bank marketing departments, but consumers will get better information to make decisions and protect themselves.

Retooling of the U.S. financial system gets a boost with new credit-card rules, but the job only is getting under way.

Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell has taken up important pieces of the challenge and is leading efforts to shine a light on derivatives trading and to stop manipulation of commodity and derivatives markets. Cantwell also is leading efforts to reinstate lessons learned from the Great Depression that separated commercial banking and investment activities. The laws were lifted in the 1990s with disastrous consequences a decade later.

Giving consumers a fair chance with honest credit-card regulations is just a start toward overhauling U.S. banking and Wall Street practices that almost brought the economy down.

— The Seattle Times- - -Toyota has been running apologetic TV ads and vowing to win back customers' trust. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the company is busy doing damage control.Toyota has hired two crisis management/lobbying firms to join a mini-battalion of 32 lobbyists Toyota already has working on Capitol Hill. The beefed-up public-relations and lobbying effort will help buttress Toyota's sizable political-campaign and charitable giving.More than 40 percent of the 125 members of Congress on the three committees investigating Toyota have received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations over the last 10 years from a network of sources tied to the carmaker, according to an analysis by the Washington Post.Many of the donations are targeted to key lawmakers on committees and states that intersect with Toyota's operations.While Toyota was spreading the largesse, company officials boasted of saving more than $100 million on recall and safety efforts by the government, internal documents show. The documents reviewed by the Associated Press list savings achieved by putting off safety regulations, avoiding investigations of defects, and slowing industry mandates.In one instance, Toyota saved $124 million on a phase-in of safety regulations for side air bags. A delay in a rule requiring tougher door locks saved $11 million. Toyota listed the savings as "wins." But there was a steep cost.Toyota's reputation for quality has taken a severe beating largely due to reports of a sudden-acceleration problem in several models. The problem first surfaced several years ago and is being blamed for a number of crashes involving injuries and deaths.Last month, Toyota was forced to recall millions of cars and shut down auto plants in an effort to fix the problem. Critics contend the company was slow to respond and put profits ahead of safety.Top Toyota executives have been testifying before two House committees, including Toyota U.S. president James Lentz on Tuesday. Toyota president Akio Toyoda testifief Wednesday. It will take more than talk to restore consumer confidence in their cars.

— The Philadelphia Inquirer