No more surprise overdraft fees?
You go to the ATM to get, say $60, but you've only got $59 in the bank. Should your bank warn you before it hands over the cash and slaps you with a $35 overdraft fee? Congress today considers legislation that would require it. Jeremy Hobson reports.
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Scott Jagow: Banks and fees go together like peanut butter and jelly. But that doesn’t mean we can’t complain about them. Today, Congress takes up the issue of overdraft fees. Even if you withdraw $1 more than you have in your account, you’ll usually get charged about $35. More now from Jeremy Hobson.
Jeremy Hobson: Those fees can be very lucrative for banks, says Eric Halperin with the Center for Responsible Lending.
Eric Halperin: Consumers are paying billions of dollars in overdraft fees for programs they never signed up for and for loans they don’t want.
He says research shows the vast majority of consumers would rather be denied funds than pay a fee for money they don’t have.
But Nessa Feddis with the American Bankers Association says the responsibility lies with the consumer.
Nessa Feddis: People have different ways of managing their money. They’re aware of the fees and they’re able to avoid them.
Lawmakers will hear from both sides today as they consider legislation that would give consumers notice before they’re charged overdraft fees.
In Washington, I’m Jeremy Hobson for Marketplace.