Nothing seems to make consumers angrier than getting charged a fee by their bank when they weren’t expecting it. Some people even leave banks altogether just to get away from the onslaught of fees that are disclosed only in …
banking
Teen Slapped With Hundreds in Bank Fees
Chicagoland teenager Daniel Ganziano thought he was doing the right thing when he opened an account last year with TCF Bank near his Illinois home to learn how to handle money responsibly. Instead, Ganziano learned that bank fees can very quickly spiral out of control — in his case, to more than $229 in less than two weeks.
Occupy San Francisco Starts Its Own Credit Union
Occupy protesters as financiers? It’s strange but true: Some Occupy San Francisco members announced plans to create the People’s Reserve Credit Union. Are the occupiers ready to be bankers?
Fighting Fees: 3 Ways to Negotiate With Your (Big) Bank
Bank fees are an annoyance, but is there an alternative besides either paying up or pulling up stakes and leaving? Maybe. If you want to keep your bank for other reasons — say, convenience — but the fees are pushing you out the …
How Much Basic Checking at a Big Bank Really Costs
There’s been a lot of media coverage lately about Americans switching from big banks to community banks, credit unions and online banks. That may be a good move for some people, but we’ll come right out and say it: Some consumers …
Would You Bank at Walmart?
Americans fed up with big bank fees are closing their accounts and marching over to … Walmart? It’s true; the mega-retailer has been steadily growing its services for the unbanked, such as cashing checks and selling reloadable …
‘Gotcha’ Fees Force Customers to Quit Banks
Hidden bank fees are pushing the working poor out of mainstream banking and into riskier, more expensive alternatives to managing their personal finances. A new study released by the Pew Charitable Trusts provides a stark …
Hints of the Future In Today’s Topsy-Turvy Stock Market
The recent rally was a chance to see which shares would likely lead the next major market advance.
How To Divorce Your Bank in 5 Easy Steps
With all of the ire Americans are directing toward big banks these days, a lot of people are talking about making a change. Protests like the Facebook-driven “Bank Transfer Day” urge consumers to pull up stakes and switch their …
Banks Still Not Easing Credit Card Standards
On a day when the U.S. Labor Department says that the economy created zero jobs in the month of August, fresh data from the Federal Reserve suggests that one key component of U.S. gross domestic product growth — the vaunted …
Why We Know Our Toilet Paper Better Than Our Banks
Bad news for banks: A survey conducted by marketing research firm Brand Keys found that consumers make no differentiation — none — between bank brands. “They’re still among a group of brands where there is zero …
Fed Ticks Off Retailers With Debit Interchange Ruling
The Federal Reserve Board isn’t really known for being shocking, but banks and retailers were shocked — and fighting mad — when the agency delivered its verdict on the contentious battle over debit interchange fees, capping fees at 21 cents per swipe — roughly half of the 44 cents banks currently collect every time a consumer uses …
