Under Duress, a Big Bank Finally Starts Treating Customers Better
After a series of moves designed to punish customers in the name of improving profits, some banks may finally be getting the message that enough is enough.
bankfees
10 Everyday Things You're Probably Paying Too Much For
Given the way capitalism works, we're all bound to overpay sometimes. The key is to avoid making it a habit. Here are 10 common things you're most likely paying too much for, and tips for keeping more of that cash in your pocket.
Banks Made Less on Overdraft Fees Last Year
The average fee for overdrafting your bank account rose again last year, but evidently, more Americans are doing a better of job managing their checking accounts, because the amount paid in overdraft fees dropped by $1.5 billion in 2011, after a $4 billion drop in 2010.
Is Your Bank Killing Free Checking?
Wells Fargo stopped offering free checking to new customers in 2010, but if you already had it, they didn't take it away. Now, it's introducing a $7 monthly charge in six (thus far, unidentified) states for customers with those formerly free checking accounts.
FDIC: Bank Earnings Hit Five-Year High in 2011
A surge in earnings by the biggest banks at the end of last year made 2011 the most profitable time for the industry in five years. More earnings and fewer troubled banks suggest the industry has healed since the 2008 financial crisis.
Fee Backlash Cost Big Banks Over 2 Million Customers
Switching banks is a hassle, but outrage over the big financial institutions' efforts to pile on new steep fees pushed more than 2 million people to close their accounts over the past 3 months. Is Bank Transfer Day becoming Bank Transfer Year?
The Tricks to Maximizing the Cash-Back Card Payoff
Savers love cash-back cards, which return a fraction of what you spend in good old U.S. currency. Disciplined consumers can bank hundreds of dollars yearly: The key is knowing how to maximize your payback.
Mango's 6% Savings Acount: Too Good to Be True?
Savers have taken it on the chin for years, with banks paying almost nothing on checking and savings accounts while charging big fees. So when a new financial website offered a 6% interest rate on an insured savings account, it got a lot of attention.
How to Avoid 2011's Spending Traps in 2012
In 2011, shoppers were hot -- sometimes too hot -- for bargains, and a little too sensitive to the day's financial news. Savings gurus Jean Chatzky and JB Orecchia weigh in on the year's major spending pitfalls, and how to dodge them in 2012.
Sick of Fees? Here Are Some Other Banking Options
When people talk about the American dream -- buying a home, going to college, starting a business -- banks are usually somewhere in the background. But what if, instead of making your dream come true, your bank relationship actually costs you money?
Bank at Walmart? Its Prepaid Debit Card Lures the Fee-Weary
Americans feeling disenchanted (or worse) with their banks after years of ever-increasing fees are increasingly turning to a cheap alternative tool provided by the world's largest retailer: the Walmart MoneyCard.
The Long-Term Relationship You Just Can't Quit
For all the anti-bank anger erupting across the country, relatively few of us are actually leaving our financial institutions.
Resentment Builds Ahead of Bank Transfer Day
On Saturday, tens of thousands will march, protest and move their money out of big banks. But plenty of Americans haven't waited for Bank Transfer Day. For Frank Sheldon of Seattle, his journey to a credit union started in 2008 when his old bank was absorbed by J.P. Morgan Chase.
Will Bank Transfer Day Be a Real Win for Credit Unions?
Like some other recent revolutionary movements, Bank Transfer Day had its genesis on Facebook. But can this grassroots rebellion against the nickel-and-diming of the big banks actually accomplish anything, and how much will the nation's credit unions really benefit?
Banks Extract Fees On Unemployment Benefits
Out of work and living on a $189-a-week unemployment check, Rob Linville needs to watch every penny. Lately, he has been watching too many pennies disappear into the coffers of the bank that administers his unemployment check via a prepaid debit card.