The $12 Billion Overdraft Trap: State Options to Limit Overdraft and Nonsufficient Fund Fees
Overdraft and nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees can drain money that people need for rent, food, and medical expenses.
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Bounce Protection: How Banks Turn Rubber into Gold by Enticing Consumers to Write Bad Checks
Banks are aggressively marketing a new form of high cost credit intended to boost their fee income at the expense of the most vulnerable consumers. These products are based on overdraft protection, but are not traditional overdraft lines of credit or the occasional ad hoc practice where a bank will cover a consumer’s bounced check…
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Health Care Plastic: The Risks of Medical Credit Cards
Many consumers charge medical bills to credit cards. Some consumers end up using specialized medical credit cards to pay health care expenses, especially for expenses generally not covered by health insurance such as dental or vision care. This report discusses these medical credit cards in depth, beginning with a brief background section and then presenting…
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The LIBOR Is Ending: What Consumer Advocates Should Know
The LIBOR is a benchmark index, also known as a reference rate, that is commonly used in millions of adjustable rate mortgages, home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), and student loans. Although it is still widely used, the index will no longer be available in its current form after June 30, 2023 and will cease…
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Rating State Government Payroll Cards
Key Points In 2015, more employees are expected to receive wages on payroll cards than by paycheck. By 2019, an estimated 12.2 million workers will receive their wages via payroll cards, compared to only 2.2 million who will get paper paychecks, according to Aite Group. With this fast-growing trend, states can be leaders in setting…
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Fintech and Consumer Protection: A Snapshot
The use of technology in financial products and services (fintech) is resulting in a wide array of new approaches to financial products and services. The internet, mobile devices, big data, computer algorithms, and other technologies are impacting the way we borrow, make payments, and manage our money. These technologies are also changing the way that…
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Report: Restoring the Wisdom of the Common Law: Applying the Historical Rule Against Contractual Penalty Damages to Bank Overdraft Fees
For three centuries or more, the common law has prohibited contract provisions that impose a penalty greater than the amount of damages caused by a breach of the contract. When those damages are difficult to determine, the common law permits “liquidated damages” provisions that are reasonably related to the actual damages sustained by the party.…
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Payday Lender Prepaid Cards: Overdraft and Junk Fees Hit Cash-Strapped Families Coming and Going
Prepaid cards are prepaid – a safe way to control spending for consumers who have had trouble with overdraft fees, have blemished credit, and may have lost their bank account. Except for prepaid cards sold by payday lenders. The largest payday lenders sell prepaid cards with unusual features that enable payday loans and profit from…
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Paper Statements: An Important Consumer Protection
Electronic statements sound eco-friendly, but they are not for everyone. Bank account, credit card and mortgage statements provide important information and serve a critical consumer protection function. Consumers must have the right to receive that information in the manner that works for them. For many consumers, from those without regular broadband Internet access to the…
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