Costly Checking Accounts
A recent study has shown checking accounts to be rather costly. In fact the study shows they are more costly than they should be. Pew Health Group looked at hidden entities in checking accounts in order to develop a case for save and clear checking account information. They found the following:
• There is a penalty of $35 for overdrafts
• Monthly fee of $8.95
• There is a transfer fee of $10 for overdrafts
• Extended penalty for overdraft of $25 after each 7th day. This is when the account has been overdrawn
Moebs Services estimates in 2011 about $38 billion will be spent by Americans for overdraft fees. If overdraft is considered a loan on a short time period then it means the APR for one year is a percentage of 5,000 according to Pew. This is more than payday loans.
Pew looked at 250 different checking accounts provided in the US from the top 10 USA banks. Pew stated as well as the high fees they also found these checking accounts do not provide transparency. There is a definite lack of clarity when it comes to the average account because the average account has a massive amount of disclosures (111 pages worth) when opening an account that makes it complicated to read and not everything is spelled out.
A couple years ago Congress worked on the 2009 Credit Card Act to help protect credit card consumers from unfair practices. Pew stated it is now time for a similar act for checking accounts to occur in order to become more transparent. The study examined 392 financial institutions, and 12 banks (online) with regards to clarity. Forty percent of these financial companies adhere to the federal truth in Savings Act.
Pew believes banks should provide data in a clear and concise manner such as fees and conditions of the account. They should also provide clear information on all overdraft options. Furthermore, the penalty fee needs to be proportional and reasonable, meaning the bank should not charge more than it costs for the overdraft loan. The consumer Financial Protection Bureau also needs to look at the clauses, fees, and other details of the accounts. Policymakers may or may not take these suggestions and put them to use.