Video: Financial institutions cutting back on mail advertising

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SEATTLE - Are you able to see all the way to the back of your mailbox these days? Chances are you're getting fewer credit card offers and catalogs.

A recent survey shows all advertising mail has dropped. Mailings from credit card companies dropped the most, by almost 14 percent compared to the same time a year ago.

"I can tell a difference," said Sally Knowle, postal carrier. "The mail volume has dropped."

Knowle is lugging a lighter load these days. Mail volume is down in large part because America's leading financial service companies are sharply cutting their direct mailings or credit card offers.

"Even speaking from experience from what I get at home, they're less," said Knowle.

According to research by Mintel Comperemedia, the top credit card mailers in 2007 were Chase, Bank of America and HSBC. This year, those three alone have cut their direct mailings by 15%. It seems the companies are re-assessing their marketing strategies to credit-stretched consumers and saving a lot of postage in the process. To the post office, it's revenue lost.

"Yeah, we feel the revenue pinch and we're doing things internally to cut costs," said Ernie Swanson, Postal Service Seattle District spokesperson.

Swanson says advertising mail of all kinds had been increasing over the years until a recent shift.

"I think also as postal rates go up mailers try and purge their mailing list," said Swanson. "Be sure they don't have duplications and try to mail to people that really are interested in what they have to sell."

Will advertising mail ever go away? Probably not. Advertising mail is still an effective marking tactic. So through rain, sleet, and a slow economy, the so-called junk mail will keep coming.

Even though direct mailing is down, financial service companies still sent a staggering 4.2 billion pieces of direct mail in the first quarter of this year.