Bank Of America ripped off by bank of america's predatory overdraft practices Charlotte North Carolina

get an atm card .
the average checkcard holder will incur 10 nsf per year
nsf profits have increased for banks since the intro of checkcards
from 9 billion to 47 billion .

MANIPULATION POEM

Oh my goodness gracious
What happened to our nation
CORRUPTION, GREED, & LIES
And lots of MANIPULATION!

Job losses keep on mounting
CEO's with constipation
A system based on LIES
And massive MANIPULATION!

Retirement accounts way down
And soon we'll see inflation
No truth- just LIES & GREED
And lots of MANIPULATION!

Innocent people always suffer
It's our system- based on FRAUD
Politicians, lawyers, & businessmen
Worshipping MONEY- their only God!

I guess this poem's over
I'm gettin' a bad impression
MANIPULATION, GREED, & LIES
Will put us in DEPRESSION!

End.


Don't forget to 'Google' this- DID SPECULATION FUEL OIL PRICE SWINGS, and watch the video at the CBS website from that '60 Minutes' segment that aired in January.


'Resistance to change is likely to reach its peak when significant change is imminent.' - H. Jackson Brown Jr

1. Are there customers out there who can't add or subtract two numbers together? Yes.
2. Do these customers have any business with debit cards? No.
3. Do these customers DESERVE all of the fees they cause themselves? Yes.

1. Are there customers out there who can balance they're register to the penny? Yes.
2. Do these prudent and meticulous customers also get hit with fees sometimes? Yes.
3. Do they deserve some of those fees? Of course.
4. Do they deserve EXTRA fees that exploit the situation? No.

1. Are there overdraft fee policies that are meant to solely punish careless or scam artist customers? Yes.
2. Are there overdraft fee policies that are designed to first TRICK, and then unfairly EXPLOIT the honest and prudent customers? Yes.

This is the bottom line and the common pattern as we all jump from one report to the next, over and over again. On one side of the argument, you have some who claim that ANY and ALL bank fees are ALWAYS the result of careless or mathematically incompetent customers. Then on the other side of the argument you have those who claim that ANY and ALL bank overdraft fees are ripoffs.

The point that many of you guys are missing is you're trying to associate some of us with that latter group and that's not the case. There are some, like myself and Purpleknights who see BOTH SIDES EQUALLY. We're not just BLINDLY LOYAL and supportive of all customers and BLINDLY AGAINST all banks and their policies. Purpleknights and I both understand there are millions of careless customers who deserve every fee they get. So we FARILY see the other side of the argument and we ACKNOWLEDGE it.

But Purpleknights and myself also understand there are bank policies that are BY DESIGN, pure RIPOFF policies that not only punish the true target violators, but these same RIPOFF policies are also meant to ENTRAP and EXPLOIT your average Joe who normally keeps his check register spotless. This is what those on the argument side simply REFUSE to acknowledge.

put your money in a bank like Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, or any other bank that is publicly held, okay?

OP: Okay, Aunt Bee, I won't.

Aunt Bee: And don't EVER give any of your hard-earned money to any Investment Bank, like Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley!!!

OP: Why, Aunt Bee?

Aunt Bee: Simply 'Google' this and watch it- DID SPECULATION FUEL OIL PRICE SWINGS, and you'll understand.

OP: Okey-dokey, Aunt Bee. I'll 'Google' this- DID SPECULATION FUEL OIL PRICE SWINGS, and I'll watch that video.

End.

Purpleknights, you also said it perfectly - so now you can't come here, make the statement that people can't add (or even subtract) two numbers together and then claim that all the bank does is rip off people through overdrafts. If people can't add, then they have no business with a debit card, or any account for that matter, because they will most certainly not understand how to safeguard their own money. If people can't add, then they can't blame anyone but themselves when they overdraft.... It also makes the lawsuits against the banks when they fully disclose their policies - all the more egregious and all the more ridiculous.

"I guess what gets me is that most of us on these boards agree that 'once you swipe the card, you should consider that money spent'. I agree. But the bank does not."

The only way you can agree is that you have marked it in your register and that is the only means of determining how much money you actually have. Period. It doesn't matter at that point what the bank does as they are required to by law. The money is spent and indicated so in your register.
By your logic, you could write a check and still spend that money because the check hasn't been presented to the bank yet.
There is no way to spin your irresponsibility in your favor

Thank you for your response. I understand your post clearly, and what you say makes sense. However, having said that, let me say that in your situation at the gas station, would the same situation not hold true if you were using a credit card? If you were at or near the limit on the credit card, it would only show a transaction for $1 until it is submitted to the credit card company for payment. The person could then be charged and "over the limit" fee, if the amount spent put them over the top. Again, really no difference. A fee is incurred.
I guess what gets me is that most of us on these boards agree that "once you swipe the card, you should consider that money spent". I agree. But the bank does not. The bank puts the money back, leaving many to think that they have this money sitting in their account for spending. The banks could be more consumer-friendly by taking the money, and requiring that merchants must submit debit requests within a given time period (say for example, 60 days). If they do not submit the request within that time, THEN the money should go back into the account, and the debit should become uncollectable. The money is off the table, and does not confuse one into thinking their balance is not actually their balance.

I understand that refusing to allow charges to be made on debit cards will stop ALL overdrafts. I am smart enough to know that there is no "perfect system". However, it would go a long way in helping to LIMIT the amount of overdrafts. Even in your situation at the gas pump, if a person thinks they have $29 left to spend after the debit for $1, then $29 would be all the card would allow to be spent if they were nearing a $0 balance in their account. Sure, there would be an overdraft for spending the $29 dollars when the gas debit hits, but it wouldn't be like the person could go on and on spending after that if the bank would not allow purchases after the account hits $0. I hope you understand what I am trying to say here. Just like with the credit card, if you are near the credit limit, and you spend that $29 which would technically still show as "available balance" on the card, when the gas charge hits, the person will then be "over the limit", thus the fee kicks in.

I understand that there is nothing that is going to completely stop ALL overdrafts, or even over the limit fees on credit cards, but it would prevent more charges from occurring.

Now, people could link their debit card to a savings account for "overdraft protection", but then, again, when this happens, the savings account is hit with a charge. Why? I know that you are allowed to make a certain number of withdrawals from your savings account each statement cycle without having fees imposed. Why doesn't this count as a withdrawal from savings, instead of charging a fee for the persons own money, if they have not gone over the allowed withdrawals for the cycle? I can understand the fee if I am using the Bank's money for overdraft protection, but not my own!
Finally, I would like to see the banks jsut become more user friendly and fair to the consumer.

Last week, a big article was written in USA Today about some of these practices of the banks. Congress is looking at these, and I suppose that there are going to be government imposed changes in banking practices. One of the biggest things that most consumers seemed to compalin about, was the arrangement of payment of debits from highest to lowest. Most people say that if the banks would just pay the items as they are presented, that they could deal with their personal finances much better. Many feel that this arrangement of transactions is what causes many of the overdrafts that occur. If this is true, and if this really would help the consumer, why doesn't the bank do it this way if people think it would be more helpful to them in avoiding overdrafts? It just seems to me that a straight line accounting would help people better to keep their statements reconciled with their checkbook.

Remember, Stile, we have many people out there who can barely add two numbers together, and keeping a checkbook balanced is a major deal to alot of people. Soem people cannot do it. Used to be, you could take your statement and checkbook to the bank, and they would you reconcile your account, but not anymore. Recently I went to Walgreens to buy some cases of bottled water that was on sale (gallon bottles). The sale was three bottles for $2. Each case had 6 bottles in it, and I got 3 cases. The sales rep almost lost it trying to figure out how much I owed. She insisted that I open each case, and hand her each bottle to scan. I did not want the cases opened, so I went and got a single bottle for her to scan. "Oh", she said, "I can't do that, because they are not the same". Then she got out her calculator trying to figure what I owed, and finally she became just so overwhelmed that she had to go get the manager. I tell this story for a reason, to demonstrate the types of people we have to deal with out there, and how dealing with money can be such a problem. That is why I say that it would be in the consumer's (and the banks') best interest to make things as simple as possible, so people can understand how to best manage their accounts.

Here is why the bank doesn't know if a debit card charge is about to overdraw your account when you're at point of sale. You're correct to say that when you swipe your card that it immediately shows in your online banking as pending, however the merchant only has a fixed amount of time (with BofA it's 3 days) to complete the transaction. If they don't complete the transaction within that time then the hold on those funds are released. If the merchant then comes in a few days later and settles the transaction, but you've re-spent those funds in the meantime then you will be overdrawn. Also consider that most gas stations preauthorize your card for $1 when you pay at the pump, but then the transaction will settle for $30 when it posts to the account. If you're just looking at online banking then you're under the mistaken impression that you have an extra $29 in your account.

The only way that they could be certain to decline transactions that would overdraw the account (barring paper withdrawals) would be to hold funds indefinitely. This isn't a real option because sometimes merchants place a hold on funds that they don't intend to withdraw (such as when your card is authorized for $100 at some gas stations, or when you check into a hotel but then pay by cash at checkout). Placing indefinite holds would penalize customers further by tying up funds that should be held. Alternatively they could say that you're able to use your debit card for all but the last $100 in your account, but can you imagine the consumer outrage if banks didn't give customers immediate access to their full balance?

Lastly you ask why customers allow people to overdraft when they lower credit limits to prevent that from happening on credit cards. The reason for this is that once a merchant obtains a credit authorization on your debit card then the bank cannot refuse the purchase once it comes in. So the funds may be available when you authorize the transaction, but may not be available when the transaction settles several days later. Lastly, as a customer you are expected to know your balance and maintain a register on the account. When you request to make a purchase that exceeds your available balance, the bank must assume that you're aware that you're doing this and having already agreed to the fee schedule when you opened the account that you likewise agree to the fee. And who knows, you might be planning on running to the bank to make a deposit before the end of the business day that will cover that overdraft.

At the end of the day taking the extra few minutes to maintain your account is a minor inconvenience that will save you from having to pay extra on your account. Our parents and grandparents got by just fine with this method. They didn't have online banking, telephone banking, or even necessarily ATMs to tell them what their balance was, and yet they weren't all bankrupted by the nasty awful banks. Personal responsibility trumps convenience any day of the week.

How it can be that you say the bank doesn't know when your debit card is about to go over the limit? As soon as I swipe my card, the charge will show up in my online banking account as PENDING. So, it knows that there has been a purchase made, and that a debit request is coming in. If the bank doesn't know this, then please explain to me the whole rationale behind the bank's "pending overdraft fee"? IF THEY CANNOT SEE A REQUEST FOR A DEBIT COMING IN, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE NO WAY OF ASSESSING A "PENDING OVERDRAFT FEE". So, they do know what transactions have occurred with the card. Same thing with a deposit at an ATM. If I use my debit card to make a deposit at an ATM, that shows up almost immediately in online banking. If you don't believe me, go to a store and buy something, or go make an atm or teller deposit, and check your account immediately online, and you will see that it has been noted there. So, indeed, if they wanted to, they could DECLINE a purchase that would put the account in the negative, because once that card is swiped, it sends the message electronically right to the bank. Now, before you try to hang me, let me say that I do know that there are exceptions. If the card has to be done manually, by paper, those debits will not show up, of course, until the charge slip is actually submitted to the bank (but this happens rarely). Also, the bank, of course, cannot electronically see what checks have been written, or are outstanding. But that shouldn't really matter, because what we are talking about is the actual electronic tally. If the available balance electronically is very low, I submit to you that the bank COULD stop the debit from occurring if the debit would take the account OVER THE AVAILABLE BALANCE. That is exactly how credit cards work, and debit cards work exactly the same way. The ONLY difference in a credit card and the debit card is the source of the funds. With the credit card, you are using the bank's money from what they have "loaned" you to use with that card. With the debit card, you are using your own money. The process, however, is exactly the same. So, please don't tell me the bank cannot decline a debit card, because it can. And if people mismanage their accounts so much that there are hundreds ofdollars in overdraft fees occurring, then the bank should do the right thing and pull the debit card so they cannot use it, but they don't do that, either. They let the person continue to liberally overdraft on their account so the can continue to take more and more of their money in fees. Funny, isn't it, how these banks will lower people's credit card limits because they are afraid they are going to spend beyond their means, yet they let the poor sap who overdrafts over and over again keep on doing it without any recourse. As I have said, the banks use a double standard, and are only going to do what benefits them, and not work for the interest of the consumer.

How it can be that you say the bank doesn't know when your debit card is about to go over the limit? As soon as I swipe my card, the charge will show up in my online banking account as PENDING. So, it knows that there has been a purchase made, and that a debit request is coming in. If the bank doesn't know this, then please explain to me the whole rationale behind the bank's "pending overdraft fee"? IF THEY CANNOT SEE A REQUEST FOR A DEBIT COMING IN, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE NO WAY OF ASSESSING A "PENDING OVERDRAFT FEE". So, they do know what transactions have occurred with the card. Same thing with a deposit at an ATM. If I use my debit card to make a deposit at an ATM, that shows up almost immediately in online banking. If you don't believe me, go to a store and buy something, or go make an atm or teller deposit, and check your account immediately online, and you will see that it has been noted there. So, indeed, if they wanted to, they could DECLINE a purchase that would put the account in the negative, because once that card is swiped, it sends the message electronically right to the bank. Now, before you try to hang me, let me say that I do know that there are exceptions. If the card has to be done manually, by paper, those debits will not show up, of course, until the charge slip is actually submitted to the bank (but this happens rarely). Also, the bank, of course, cannot electronically see what checks have been written, or are outstanding. But that shouldn't really matter, because what we are talking about is the actual electronic tally. If the available balance electronically is very low, I submit to you that the bank COULD stop the debit from occurring if the debit would take the account OVER THE AVAILABLE BALANCE. That is exactly how credit cards work, and debit cards work exactly the same way. The ONLY difference in a credit card and the debit card is the source of the funds. With the credit card, you are using the bank's money from what they have "loaned" you to use with that card. With the debit card, you are using your own money. The process, however, is exactly the same. So, please don't tell me the bank cannot decline a debit card, because it can. And if people mismanage their accounts so much that there are hundreds ofdollars in overdraft fees occurring, then the bank should do the right thing and pull the debit card so they cannot use it, but they don't do that, either. They let the person continue to liberally overdraft on their account so the can continue to take more and more of their money in fees. Funny, isn't it, how these banks will lower people's credit card limits because they are afraid they are going to spend beyond their means, yet they let the poor sap who overdrafts over and over again keep on doing it without any recourse. As I have said, the banks use a double standard, and are only going to do what benefits them, and not work for the interest of the consumer.

How it can be that you say the bank doesn't know when your debit card is about to go over the limit? As soon as I swipe my card, the charge will show up in my online banking account as PENDING. So, it knows that there has been a purchase made, and that a debit request is coming in. If the bank doesn't know this, then please explain to me the whole rationale behind the bank's "pending overdraft fee"? IF THEY CANNOT SEE A REQUEST FOR A DEBIT COMING IN, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE NO WAY OF ASSESSING A "PENDING OVERDRAFT FEE". So, they do know what transactions have occurred with the card. Same thing with a deposit at an ATM. If I use my debit card to make a deposit at an ATM, that shows up almost immediately in online banking. If you don't believe me, go to a store and buy something, or go make an atm or teller deposit, and check your account immediately online, and you will see that it has been noted there. So, indeed, if they wanted to, they could DECLINE a purchase that would put the account in the negative, because once that card is swiped, it sends the message electronically right to the bank. Now, before you try to hang me, let me say that I do know that there are exceptions. If the card has to be done manually, by paper, those debits will not show up, of course, until the charge slip is actually submitted to the bank (but this happens rarely). Also, the bank, of course, cannot electronically see what checks have been written, or are outstanding. But that shouldn't really matter, because what we are talking about is the actual electronic tally. If the available balance electronically is very low, I submit to you that the bank COULD stop the debit from occurring if the debit would take the account OVER THE AVAILABLE BALANCE. That is exactly how credit cards work, and debit cards work exactly the same way. The ONLY difference in a credit card and the debit card is the source of the funds. With the credit card, you are using the bank's money from what they have "loaned" you to use with that card. With the debit card, you are using your own money. The process, however, is exactly the same. So, please don't tell me the bank cannot decline a debit card, because it can. And if people mismanage their accounts so much that there are hundreds ofdollars in overdraft fees occurring, then the bank should do the right thing and pull the debit card so they cannot use it, but they don't do that, either. They let the person continue to liberally overdraft on their account so the can continue to take more and more of their money in fees. Funny, isn't it, how these banks will lower people's credit card limits because they are afraid they are going to spend beyond their means, yet they let the poor sap who overdrafts over and over again keep on doing it without any recourse. As I have said, the banks use a double standard, and are only going to do what benefits them, and not work for the interest of the consumer.

How it can be that you say the bank doesn't know when your debit card is about to go over the limit? As soon as I swipe my card, the charge will show up in my online banking account as PENDING. So, it knows that there has been a purchase made, and that a debit request is coming in. If the bank doesn't know this, then please explain to me the whole rationale behind the bank's "pending overdraft fee"? IF THEY CANNOT SEE A REQUEST FOR A DEBIT COMING IN, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE NO WAY OF ASSESSING A "PENDING OVERDRAFT FEE". So, they do know what transactions have occurred with the card. Same thing with a deposit at an ATM. If I use my debit card to make a deposit at an ATM, that shows up almost immediately in online banking. If you don't believe me, go to a store and buy something, or go make an atm or teller deposit, and check your account immediately online, and you will see that it has been noted there. So, indeed, if they wanted to, they could DECLINE a purchase that would put the account in the negative, because once that card is swiped, it sends the message electronically right to the bank. Now, before you try to hang me, let me say that I do know that there are exceptions. If the card has to be done manually, by paper, those debits will not show up, of course, until the charge slip is actually submitted to the bank (but this happens rarely). Also, the bank, of course, cannot electronically see what checks have been written, or are outstanding. But that shouldn't really matter, because what we are talking about is the actual electronic tally. If the available balance electronically is very low, I submit to you that the bank COULD stop the debit from occurring if the debit would take the account OVER THE AVAILABLE BALANCE. That is exactly how credit cards work, and debit cards work exactly the same way. The ONLY difference in a credit card and the debit card is the source of the funds. With the credit card, you are using the bank's money from what they have "loaned" you to use with that card. With the debit card, you are using your own money. The process, however, is exactly the same. So, please don't tell me the bank cannot decline a debit card, because it can. And if people mismanage their accounts so much that there are hundreds ofdollars in overdraft fees occurring, then the bank should do the right thing and pull the debit card so they cannot use it, but they don't do that, either. They let the person continue to liberally overdraft on their account so the can continue to take more and more of their money in fees. Funny, isn't it, how these banks will lower people's credit card limits because they are afraid they are going to spend beyond their means, yet they let the poor sap who overdrafts over and over again keep on doing it without any recourse. As I have said, the banks use a double standard, and are only going to do what benefits them, and not work for the interest of the consumer.

My husband and I had an account with BofA, we actually had several, but we ran into a similar situation. We had the overdraft protection, so if we over withdrew on our account they would simply pull money from the savings account. At one point I over withdrew by about 10 cents, not a huge deal, but the savings account was empty at that time. They charged us $10 (for the overdraft protection) to pull absolutely no money over from our savings account. They also charged us the $35 dollar fee for over withdrawing the 10 cents. They then charged us an additional $35 dollar fee for the $10 fee that they had charged to our account. It took about a month to get this straightened out, but they did eventually give us back the total of $80 in fees.

We still ended up closing the account because I had had my card shredded and canceled by the manager at one of the banks, and a week later there were several charges made to that card. When I called customer service I was told that they were pending charges from before. I took 3 months to get it sorted out so we could close the account.

REGISTER BECAUSE THEY ARE IN DEFICIT SPENDING, HUH?

Batman: You're right, Robin. The government has been spending more money than it takes in, and they've been doing it for MANY YEARS.

Robin: GOLLY-GEE-WILLAKERS, Batman, how can they continue doing this?

Batman: I'm not sure, boy-wonder, but it's interesting that people who make honest mistakes are penalized in ways that aren't fair, and the government can simply 'snap their fingers' and have money appear so they can fund WARS, & inject money into FAILING BANKS, and into FAILING AUTO COMPANIES like GM & Chrysler, and into FAILING INSURANCE COMPANIES like AIG, huh?

Robin: JUMPIN' JAHOSAFAT, Batman, I never really looked at it that way!!!!!

Batman: But it's true, Robin. And executives at these failing companies are making MILLIONS of dollars at the expense of innocent Americans.

Robin: I know, Batman! It's TRUE, and it isn't right!!!!

Batman: Robin, Did you watch the round-table discussion about a week, or so, ago, when Newt Ginghrich said that the government would run out of TAX REVENUE it received from 2008 by April 25th 2009?

Robin: NO! I didn't see that one!!!

Batman: Well, I did. Guess what? Today is April 25th, and the government has already spent all of 2008's TAX MONEY it received for the entire year.

Robin: WOWSY-WOW-WOW, Batman!!! That means that everything the government spends from here on out is money that they DON'T REALLY HAVE, huh?

Batman: Precisely, Robin.

Robin: I guess the government doesn't believe in using a REGISTER either, right Batman?

Batman: You hit that one on the head, Robin. Now let's head out to Beverly Hills and see if Granny has any crawdads left.

Robin: She really loves smokin' crawdads, doesn't she Batman?

Batman: Yes she does. Quickly, let's head to the Batmobile, and make sure to bring the Tabasco sauce for the crawdads.

Robin: Okey-dokey, Batman!!!!

End.

'Google' this- AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM, and watch that documentary on the web. Spread it all over the WORLDWIDE WEB!!!

Thank you!

REGISTER BECAUSE THEY ARE IN DEFICIT SPENDING, HUH?

Batman: You're right, Robin. The government has been spending more money than it takes in, and they've been doing it for MANY YEARS.

Robin: GOLLY-GEE-WILLAKERS, Batman, how can they continue doing this?

Batman: I'm not sure, boy-wonder, but it's interesting that people who make honest mistakes are penalized in ways that aren't fair, and the government can simply 'snap their fingers' and have money appear so they can fund WARS, & inject money into FAILING BANKS, and into FAILING AUTO COMPANIES like GM & Chrysler, and into FAILING INSURANCE COMPANIES like AIG, huh?

Robin: JUMPIN' JAHOSAFAT, Batman, I never really looked at it that way!!!!!

Batman: But it's true, Robin. And executives at these failing companies are making MILLIONS of dollars at the expense of innocent Americans.

Robin: I know, Batman! It's TRUE, and it isn't right!!!!

Batman: Robin, Did you watch the round-table discussion about a week, or so, ago, when Newt Ginghrich said that the government would run out of TAX REVENUE it received from 2008 by April 25th 2009?

Robin: NO! I didn't see that one!!!

Batman: Well, I did. Guess what? Today is April 25th, and the government has already spent all of 2008's TAX MONEY it received for the entire year.

Robin: WOWSY-WOW-WOW, Batman!!! That means that everything the government spends from here on out is money that they DON'T REALLY HAVE, huh?

Batman: Precisely, Robin.

Robin: I guess the government doesn't believe in using a REGISTER either, right Batman?

Batman: You hit that one on the head, Robin. Now let's head out to Beverly Hills and see if Granny has any crawdads left.

Robin: She really loves smokin' crawdads, doesn't she Batman?

Batman: Yes she does. Quickly, let's head to the Batmobile, and make sure to bring the Tabasco sauce for the crawdads.

Robin: Okey-dokey, Batman!!!!

End.

'Google' this- AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM, and watch that documentary on the web. Spread it all over the WORLDWIDE WEB!!!

Thank you!

REGISTER BECAUSE THEY ARE IN DEFICIT SPENDING, HUH?

Batman: You're right, Robin. The government has been spending more money than it takes in, and they've been doing it for MANY YEARS.

Robin: GOLLY-GEE-WILLAKERS, Batman, how can they continue doing this?

Batman: I'm not sure, boy-wonder, but it's interesting that people who make honest mistakes are penalized in ways that aren't fair, and the government can simply 'snap their fingers' and have money appear so they can fund WARS, & inject money into FAILING BANKS, and into FAILING AUTO COMPANIES like GM & Chrysler, and into FAILING INSURANCE COMPANIES like AIG, huh?

Robin: JUMPIN' JAHOSAFAT, Batman, I never really looked at it that way!!!!!

Batman: But it's true, Robin. And executives at these failing companies are making MILLIONS of dollars at the expense of innocent Americans.

Robin: I know, Batman! It's TRUE, and it isn't right!!!!

Batman: Robin, Did you watch the round-table discussion about a week, or so, ago, when Newt Ginghrich said that the government would run out of TAX REVENUE it received from 2008 by April 25th 2009?

Robin: NO! I didn't see that one!!!

Batman: Well, I did. Guess what? Today is April 25th, and the government has already spent all of 2008's TAX MONEY it received for the entire year.

Robin: WOWSY-WOW-WOW, Batman!!! That means that everything the government spends from here on out is money that they DON'T REALLY HAVE, huh?

Batman: Precisely, Robin.

Robin: I guess the government doesn't believe in using a REGISTER either, right Batman?

Batman: You hit that one on the head, Robin. Now let's head out to Beverly Hills and see if Granny has any crawdads left.

Robin: She really loves smokin' crawdads, doesn't she Batman?

Batman: Yes she does. Quickly, let's head to the Batmobile, and make sure to bring the Tabasco sauce for the crawdads.

Robin: Okey-dokey, Batman!!!!

End.

'Google' this- AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM, and watch that documentary on the web. Spread it all over the WORLDWIDE WEB!!!

Thank you!

REGISTER BECAUSE THEY ARE IN DEFICIT SPENDING, HUH?

Batman: You're right, Robin. The government has been spending more money than it takes in, and they've been doing it for MANY YEARS.

Robin: GOLLY-GEE-WILLAKERS, Batman, how can they continue doing this?

Batman: I'm not sure, boy-wonder, but it's interesting that people who make honest mistakes are penalized in ways that aren't fair, and the government can simply 'snap their fingers' and have money appear so they can fund WARS, & inject money into FAILING BANKS, and into FAILING AUTO COMPANIES like GM & Chrysler, and into FAILING INSURANCE COMPANIES like AIG, huh?

Robin: JUMPIN' JAHOSAFAT, Batman, I never really looked at it that way!!!!!

Batman: But it's true, Robin. And executives at these failing companies are making MILLIONS of dollars at the expense of innocent Americans.

Robin: I know, Batman! It's TRUE, and it isn't right!!!!

Batman: Robin, Did you watch the round-table discussion about a week, or so, ago, when Newt Ginghrich said that the government would run out of TAX REVENUE it received from 2008 by April 25th 2009?

Robin: NO! I didn't see that one!!!

Batman: Well, I did. Guess what? Today is April 25th, and the government has already spent all of 2008's TAX MONEY it received for the entire year.

Robin: WOWSY-WOW-WOW, Batman!!! That means that everything the government spends from here on out is money that they DON'T REALLY HAVE, huh?

Batman: Precisely, Robin.

Robin: I guess the government doesn't believe in using a REGISTER either, right Batman?

Batman: You hit that one on the head, Robin. Now let's head out to Beverly Hills and see if Granny has any crawdads left.

Robin: She really loves smokin' crawdads, doesn't she Batman?

Batman: Yes she does. Quickly, let's head to the Batmobile, and make sure to bring the Tabasco sauce for the crawdads.

Robin: Okey-dokey, Batman!!!!

End.

'Google' this- AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM, and watch that documentary on the web. Spread it all over the WORLDWIDE WEB!!!

Thank you!

Bank of America recently lowered the O/D fee for clients who do not allow their account balances to go past -$5. In these cases, the O/D fee is now $10 as opposed to $35. It's still a fee but it's not nearly as bad as $35.

You expect the bank to do the account holder's job, and keep a check register?

If you do not keep a transaction register, charge stupid things like coffee, newspapers, etc.
and keep a low balance, you are ASKING for trouble!!

If you have so many accounts with BoA, why NOT use the overdraft protection?
Why didn't you transfer money into your account if you knew you were low?

Please, tell us what your senator says about this...
Why not start a class action lawsuit also!!!

p.s. USE A REGISTER!!

Susan's Ripoff Report that is posted here, and read it. I believe that her Report now appears on 4-14-2009.

It's entitled- 'BANK OF AMERICA WHEN IS'

It seems to me that the banks are exercising their 'legal right' to hold the mail that they receive for the period of 4 or 5 days, and this tactic triggers OVERDRAFTS, & then the banks can make these $35 fees. I believe Susan said it's called- 'WHITEMAIL'.

It makes sense, right?

It's a way in which banks can make MILLIONS, & even BILLIONS of dollars off of unsuspecting customers.

Simply close out all BOA accounts, and DON'T USE them anymore!!! Put your money into a LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED CREDIT UNION!!!

That's your best bet! BOA, & all the other PUBLICLY HELD BANKS are obviously in DEEP, DEEP, trouble, or they WOULDN'T have needed the 'TARP' money, wouldn't you agree?

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

P.S. I wouldn't count on the government helping the people of the USA. REMEMBER, the government now OWNS a portion of these banks, like BOA, & CITI, & others, correct? The government needs money too, right? Don't forget- We're headed into Afghanistan to bring PEACE to the region, remember??????

Eseabo, a debit card is not a charge card. You cannot have your debit card declined because debit cards have no limit to them, unlike a credit card. Debit cards don't have limits because they were designed for you to use the same way as cash. Since a bank does NOT KNOW (despite what other naive people who post here might think) the balance in your account; they only keep track of what passes through your account. Further, debit cards are more for the merchant's use in processing transactions that won't get rejected, than for the consumer's use, placing limits on debit cards wouldn't be in anyone's best interest.

The other very clear item here is that bank fees make up a small aspect of a bank's revenue stream. They make more money from issuing loans - either to commercial clients or for homes - and that makes up the vast majority of their revenues. The overdraft fee side isn't a very large component because most people in this country aren't stupid enough to hand over thousands of dollars per year in fees to a bank. The poor only deal in cash. The rich don't overdraft (and generally don't need a debit card); they have credit available to them. Take a lesson from the rich - if they don't need a debit card, then neither do you - especially if you think a debit card is a charge card.

"One charge was for $.27 cents"
- I think you may have won the "The smallest amount I have charged on my Debit Card is" contest. Congratulations on your stupidity. I mean really what was so important that you had to use your Debit Card then and there and couldn't come up with a few coins.

1. It has been gone over many times while even if a bank blocks a debit card if there are no funds available, it is still possible to get Overdrafts. Yes even for a $0.27 purchase.

2 & 3. If you don't overdraft you won't get charged ANY fees.

"Just think how American's with lesser incomes would struggle with this."
-The bank only gets overdraft fees if a person overdrafts. So if a person has a lesser income manage their account and don't spend more than they have they don't have to struggle with it.

Now not to say that you can't use your debit card for $0.27(or even $0.01) if you want. But if you don't keep an accurate register, spend more than you have available then you are going to be charged a fee. If you refuse to use a register and manage your account then CUT UP the Debit Card ASAP and go back to using cash. You may still OD but at least you will get hit with only 1 rather than the several for the multiple debit card purchases.

I know it's terrible when someone actually says you need to take respsonsibilty for your actions. Your must be thinking yea that person works for a bank. Well sorry..I do not work for, nor have I ever worked for any bank.

is to keep a register and not spend more than you have available. Novel idea but it works. But then you'd really have to face the reality of blaming yourself that you chose to skirt now.

is to keep a register and not spend more than you have available. Novel idea but it works. But then you'd really have to face the reality of blaming yourself that you chose to skirt now.

is to keep a register and not spend more than you have available. Novel idea but it works. But then you'd really have to face the reality of blaming yourself that you chose to skirt now.

is to keep a register and not spend more than you have available. Novel idea but it works. But then you'd really have to face the reality of blaming yourself that you chose to skirt now.

If you use a debit/ATM card, the bank should be able to restrict purchases that are over the balance of the account. Electronically, the bank knows you have spent money on your debit card because it shows up, in almost all cases, in online banking immediately after you swipe your card. Debit cards are made to function in the same manner as a credit card. If you attempt to use your credit card when it goes over the limit, the bank will deny the transaction. They could do the same with the debit card, if they were so inclined, however, they want those OD fees. And the sad part is that they will let you keep making purchases all day long, even if you are in the negative. Then these banks have the nerve to pay (on the customer's behalf) the merchant for the overdrafts, instead of returning the item presented as NSF. In effect, the bank is making you a "loan", and they do this even if you do not qualify for a loan, and they do it without your consent! They are not doing this as a favor to you, they are doing it so they can collect more fees from you. This issue is being debated in Congress right now. Also, please know that B of A has to pay out $35 million in settlement of overdraft fees from the year 2000 forward. If you have proof of the overdrafting, you may well be entitled to $78 from this settlement--not a lot, but it is something, and $35 million is not chicken feed in the grand scheme of things....