Consumers who use online payday lenders may be taken advantage of twice: first, by the lenders’ triple-digit interest rates that flout state caps, then with fees tacked on by the borrowers’ own banks.
checking account
You’ll Never Guess What Banks Have Started Charging For Now
Banks are charging record-high fees for existing services such as account maintenance and overdrafts. But banks are also getting creative, rolling out services — and fees — that never existed before. For instance, at one bank, if you’re sick of waiting on hold to talk to a customer service rep, you can pay a fee to cut the line.
Consumer Overload: Why We Tune Out Info & Services That Are Supposed to Help
Who would want to ignore great deals, the chance to improve goods in the marketplace, and information that’s supposed to protect us from rip-offs and unsafe products? It turns out a lot of us would—because we’re swimming in an …
Should You Get a Prepaid Debit Card?
There’s no question anymore: Prepaid debit cards have shifted from the fringe to the mainstream. The tipping point was Tuesday, when JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced a pilot program to launch a prepaid debit card called Liquid. …
Bank of America, Chase Fees Target of Consumer Ire Again
Updated: 6:15 p.m., March 1
Bank fees are in the spotlight again. The Wall Street Journal reported that Bank of America is planning to roll out new checking-account fees, and the news stirred up negative sentiment in the social mediaverse almost immediately, with consumers reacting angrily to the idea. Chase, meanwhile, wants to charge …
‘ING Direct’ Name to Disappear: Customers Disgusted as Capital One Swallows Favorite Online Bank
Ever since the Federal Reserve approved Capital One’s takeover of ING Direct, customers have feared that their beloved bright-orange online bank would change. Turns out they were right to be scared, as a recent notice is circulating announcing that the “ING Direct” name will disappear, probably next year. What else is going to change?
5 Banking New Year’s Resolutions
This year was a tumultuous one for banking: Occupy Wall Street protests around the country focused Americans’ anger against the financial industry, while widespread outrage over banks’ attempts to charge fees for debit card use …
Opportunity Nation: How Those Below the Poverty Line Can Move Up
For years, many Americans have been stuck below the poverty line, unable to build the kind of assets needed to propel themselves up the economic ladder. This systemic problem brought together authors, government officials and financial experts in New York City last week at an event called Opportunity Nation, hosted at Columbia University.
Still Reason to Drop Big Banks, Even After They Drop Debit Card Fees
Weeks after stirring up consumer outrage with a proposed $5 monthly fee for debit card usage, Bank of America is now following its big bank colleagues by abandoning plans for the fee. Throughout the debit card fee saga, smaller …
Wells Fargo Mails Statements to Wrong Customers
Some Wells Fargo customers who opened their accounts in Florida or South Carolina are getting an unpleasant surprise when they open the monthly statement they receive in the mail: At least some of the statement pages inside don’t …
Credit Union Guarantees Free Checking and No Debit Card Fees—Forever
One reason people give for sticking with their bank even as it adds absurd debit card fees is that soon, all financial institutions are likely to charge for these services. So why bother going through the hassle of switching banks at all? Small banks, online banks, and credit unions understand that the absence of fees helps them woo …
‘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 …
