Article: In the frugal 1990s, debt is out - and debit cards are in.

In the mid-1980s, Peoples Westchester Savings Bank of Hawthorne, N.Y., was one of only a handful of institutions offering a "debit" card -- a type of automated teller machine card that allows users to pay for goods at certain stores by making immediate withdrawals from checking or savings accounts.

Peoples Westchester soon discontinued the cards due to a lack of interest among its customers; it seemed traditional credit cards were just fine for the prosperous people of the mid-1980s.

But now, during a recession when the mere mention of the word "debt" is met with frowns and glares, debit cards are increasing in popularity.

Debit cards reflect the ...

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