Banks prepare for credit card losses

The unemployment rate has long mirrored banks’ loss rates on card balances...For many lenders, losses are now starting to outpace layoffs.

Experts predict that millions of Americans will not be able to pay off their debts, leaving a gaping hole at ailing banks still trying to recover from the housing bust.

The bank stress test results, released Thursday, suggested that the nation’s 19 biggest banks could expect nearly $82.4 billion in credit card losses by the end of 2010 under what federal regulators called a “worst case” economic situation.

But if unemployment breaches 10 percent, as many economists predict, the rate of uncollectible balances at some banks could far exceed that level.

www.cnbc.com...

I'm guessing that this is going to follow through for things like mortgages and business loans too? What effects are being predicted for the financial establishments themselves?