Q. I've had a credit card for several years that I've always paid on time. But the card issuer just informed me that my account was being closed because of information received from a credit bureau. Can they just close my account because of a credit bureau report that has nothing to do with my account with them? What recourse do I have?

A. Unfortunately, you have no recourse. Credit card companies can pretty much do what they want regarding your account.

Card issuers take into account not only your payment record on your card, but any changes in your credit score because of late or missed payments on your mortgage, auto loan, utilities bills and so forth.

Generally, when they see credit infractions, card issuers throw you into universal default, which means they raise your interest rate to 28%, 30% or more. This is because you are now regarded as a higher risk.

If the problem is serious enough, lenders cut off borrowers from further credit, which is what your credit card company has done. Even though your account is closed, you still have to make payments and interest will be charged on your balance until your debt is paid off.

You might be able to transfer your balance to a card with low- or no-interest charges on transfers, at least for a few months. You can check out various offers on Interest.com's listing of balance transfer cards. This may not be possible with the black mark on your credit report, but it's worth a try.