First Niagara Bank overdraft ripoff! Batavia New York

I too dealt with this bank and share the same opinion as the author! And NO, it is not your fault and definitely falls in the lap of this unscrupulous bank!
When I opened my account they shoved over draft protection down your throat whether or not you desired it. The branch I dealt with told me they gave you $500 overdraft protection as a courtesy of the bank to ALL of their customers. Now of course, they say read your contract! Well, who opens an account anywhere and sits and reads ALL the small print in a contract prior to opening a bank account? NO ONE! We all traust in the honesty of the bank employee to represent the facts as they are- in this case that trust was broken!
The thing that raises the flag here is: Why are so many people complaining about the very same issue if the bank was "not at fault"? The answer, deceptive banking practices!

Banks have to link accounts together in order to have overdraft protection. Sometimes if you call a bank they will waive the fee when they set it up.

As far as banks "stealing money", I would ask you why you wrote checks for money you didn't have. Isn't that theft? And if you had that much money in your savings, why wouldn't you transfer money yourself to cover it

You're blaming the bank for something you knowingly did