Which banks are the worst overdraft fee offenders?

Updated

Consumers overwhelmingly want limits and additional disclosures on bank overdraft fees, according to a survey released by the Consumer Federal of America (CFA). Yet Congress has done nothing to fix the problem since it held hearings late last year and banks continue to make billions on overdraft fees. The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) estimates that consumers paid $23.7 billion for overdraft fees in 2008, which is an increase of 35% over just two years.

CRL reported that 50 million Americans overdrew their checking accounts at least once over a 12-month period with 27 million account holders paying five or more overdraft or insufficient funds fees per year.

The Federal Reserve is implementing new rules requiring banks to get customers' consent on overdrafts when they get a debit card, but the new rules do nothing to rein in the high fees or provide real-time disclosures. The rule does mandate an opt in at the time one opens an account, but does not require banks to discuss the opt out provision after a customer experiences an overdraft.

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