Last week, JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced that it’s eliminating overdraft fees on purchases of $5 or less. Also this month, regional banks Fifth Third and U.S. Bank are raising their overdraft fees for multiple overdrafts and …
Consumer advocates cheered and the banking industry fumed when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made its credit card complaint database public last week. Banking analyst Ken Thomas got to work. Thomas sifted through this …
Everybody knows how important it is to maintain good credit, but a lot of people don’t know how. Some think it’s necessary to revolve a credit card balance to get a higher score or don’t know the impact of checking their own …
Imagine going for an oil change and finding out that the auto shop charged you a higher price just because you had a luxury car, so they figured you could afford it. You’d probably get ticked off and find another mechanic, right? …
The idea of a credit card that gives you money for spending is pretty appealing, which goes a long way to explaining the enduring popularity of cash-back credit cards. The more you spend, the more you earn.
Americans are buying cars again in a big way, with new car sales expected to be up 30% year-over-year in May, continuing the trajectory of rising demand that’s been going strong all year. Given that most of us aren’t going to …
A plan to study data mining of social-networking sites bankrolled by Germany‘s largest credit-reporting agency provoked outrage after internal documents about the project were leaked to German media outlets.
Every summer, phone poles fill up with colorful fliers advertising events like garage sales, flea markets and bake sales. But this year, you’re more likely than ever to pay with plastic for that tchotchke or cupcake. A new study …
Hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world are expected to visit London for the Olympic Games this summer, and it’s a guarantee that some of them will get sick right before their trip, have their luggage lost or have a …
In an extensive study last year, the Pew Charitable Trusts found out what many Americans who’ve been zapped by overdraft fees or frustrated trying to understand fine print already knew: Big banks make it difficult for their customers to figure out exactly when and how much they’ll be charged in fees.
Now, in a follow-up report that …
Credit card reform legislation has done lots of great things for consumers, like eliminating universal default and preventing card companies from jacking up interest rates just for the heck of it. But a provision intended to make sure issuers don’t let people run up more debt than they can pay off has the unintended consequence of …
Lately, it seems like at the bottom of every freebie, buy-one-get-one deal, and 99-cent special, there’s some teeny-tiny print noting that the offer is good only “at participating locations.” The clause is especially ubiquitous at fast food chains, and consumers are known to get agitated after walking into an establishment expecting to …
