BACKGROUND:  I am trying to evaluate whether recurring automatic
payment drafting will incur more manual overhead when drafting from
checking accounts versus drafting from credit card accounts.  The
manual part would be dealing with expired or closed accounts; that is,
trying to contact the account holder to have them update their
information.  So, I am researching whether checking accounts tend to
"expire" less often than credit cards.  For example, what is the
average turn over of checking accounts closing vs the average turn
over of expiring credit card accounts.

LITMUS TEST:  To answer this question, I need:

(1) a single independent/credible source (or at least 3 anecdotal
sources) on turnover (i.e. either closed or expired) rates for both
types of accounts

-- OR --

(2) a single independent/credible source that states the general
"error" rate of processing payments from these two types accounts
(i.e, taking NSF and overlimit types of issues into account).

<Checking accounts appear to be more reliable than credit cards.
Around 14 percent of consumers change their bank accounts each year.
With credit cards there is a high failure rate mostly due to the card
balance reaching the maximum limit. Estimates for the level of credit
cards at their limits vary between 20 and 60%. In addition fraud
accounts for 7 percent of credit card rejections. Surveys also show
that consumers prefer to use their checking accounts over credit
cards.

Banking.
Average defection rates for banking in the U.S. are 14 percent.
http://www.celent.com/PPTAudio/Customer%20Attrition.pdf

A survey of 1500 households found that bank accounts are typically
kept open for 10 years. The main reason for changing banks is
relocation.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2002/200244/200244pap.pdf

A survey by McKinsey of 500 retail bank customers found that checking
account customers are surprisingly sticky. They cited convenience, 
quality of service and their relationship with banking personnel for
staying put. Just 2% reacted to price changes by moving their account.
http://www.nomissolutions.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/NomisWebsite/McKinseyQuarterly-BankDepos.pdf

-----------------------------------------------
Credit cards.
This site reports that credit card failure is almost 30%.
http://www.paidcontent.org/pc/arch/2003_05_05.shtml	

Cardweb estimates that 20% of credit cards in the U.S. are maxed out.
http://www.fool.com/ccc/secrets/secrets02.htm

Credit cards have seasonal problems. According to this site 35 to 42
percent of credit cards are declined during the Christmas season
mostly commonly due to insufficient credit.
http://www.supplychainbrain.com/archives/11.00.e-fulfillment.htm?adcode=75

According to this site 60% of credit cards are at their limit.
http://www.electrumcorp.com/Services.htm

According to a report by Alan Miles it is estimated that 30 percent of
those that would make purchases on the web can?t because they don?t
have credit cards or the credit cards are declined at the point of
purchase. According to Jupiter Media Metrix, at least 25 cents of
every $100 spent is lost to fraud. Online merchants reported a 7
percent rejection rate due to fraud. In contrast 88 percent of U.S.
adults have a checking account. Research by PayByCheck found that
consumers prefer checks over credit cards by a margin of 4 to 1.
http://www.avnonline.com/issues/200205/features/feat0502_02.shtml

-----------------------------------------------------
U.K.


In the UK checking accounts are more likely to be retained than credit
cards. Research by Which? (the UK?s leading consumer publication),
found that 75% of people would not move their current account
(checking account) and 66% intended to keep the same credit card.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_485627.html

A survey by Nottingham University found that 93.5% of businesses had
not changed banks in the last year.
http://www.ukbb.ac/forms/results.aspx?sid=21

According to this Scottish newspaper, 78% of people had never changed
their credit card.
http://www.sundayherald.com/37380


In Canada only 24% of credit card users switched, cancelled or change
their credit cards in 1996.
http://www.cardweb.com/cardtrak/news/cf2_21h_97.html>


<Additional links:>

<Is it better to accept checks or credit cards?>
<http://www.infomerchant.net/checkprocessing/credit_cards_or_checks_advantages.html>

<Fewer than 1% of checks bounce.>
<http://www.paretailers.org/pdfs/CheckFraudTips.pdf>


<Search strategy:>

<"banking survey" "changed">
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22banking+survey%22+%22changed%22>

<"changed bank">
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22changed+bank%22>

<"credit cards" "are maxed out">
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22credit+cards%22+%22are+maxed+out%22>

<"checking accounts" statistics>
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22checking+accounts%22+statistics>



<Hope this helps.>

Excellent answers for what I found to be difficult to research on my own!