Washington Mutual Bank Rif off when account is low to collect overdraft fees San Mateo California

I used to have WaMu as well and I noticed their creative reordering of transactions and charging of overdraft fees. I actually moved to WaMu after Bank of America did the same exact thing (reordered transactions and charged overdraft fees). I've since moved to a credit union and am extremely pleased with them.

Actually, WaMu just recently held my father's payroll check for 15 business days for no reason! He's had his checking account for a couple of years now and had previously deposited payroll checks from his current employer before with no problems. Most of the time the checks weren't held for more that 3 or 4 days or not even held at all. WaMu's random holding caused my parent's rent check to be late, but thankfully we have a very understanding and forgiving landlord.

Anyway, I have a few pointers for those who are having problems keeping track of their charges (I don't mean that in a condescending way). Aside from writing down debits from your account immediately in your checkbook or on a plain old piece of paper, I've also found that it helps to have my bank alert me when my account goes below a certain amount or if I'm overdrawn. Most banks now days have it where you can sign up for text message and email alerts that will tell you immediately when your account goes below a certain dollar amount (set by you) or if your account goes overdrawn. I've saved myself many-a-overdraft fee with them! Also, if you're not already doing so, make it a point to check your account balance at least once a day. I check mine multiple times a day (especially right before I go out to make a purchase) to see what is pending, what has come out, and how much I have left to spend. Don't let the banks steal your money!

I used to have WaMu as well and I noticed their creative reordering of transactions and charging of overdraft fees. I actually moved to WaMu after Bank of America did the same exact thing (reordered transactions and charged overdraft fees). I've since moved to a credit union and am extremely pleased with them.

Actually, WaMu just recently held my father's payroll check for 15 business days for no reason! He's had his checking account for a couple of years now and had previously deposited payroll checks from his current employer before with no problems. Most of the time the checks weren't held for more that 3 or 4 days or not even held at all. WaMu's random holding caused my parent's rent check to be late, but thankfully we have a very understanding and forgiving landlord.

Anyway, I have a few pointers for those who are having problems keeping track of their charges (I don't mean that in a condescending way). Aside from writing down debits from your account immediately in your checkbook or on a plain old piece of paper, I've also found that it helps to have my bank alert me when my account goes below a certain amount or if I'm overdrawn. Most banks now days have it where you can sign up for text message and email alerts that will tell you immediately when your account goes below a certain dollar amount (set by you) or if your account goes overdrawn. I've saved myself many-a-overdraft fee with them! Also, if you're not already doing so, make it a point to check your account balance at least once a day. I check mine multiple times a day (especially right before I go out to make a purchase) to see what is pending, what has come out, and how much I have left to spend. Don't let the banks steal your money!

I used to have WaMu as well and I noticed their creative reordering of transactions and charging of overdraft fees. I actually moved to WaMu after Bank of America did the same exact thing (reordered transactions and charged overdraft fees). I've since moved to a credit union and am extremely pleased with them.

Actually, WaMu just recently held my father's payroll check for 15 business days for no reason! He's had his checking account for a couple of years now and had previously deposited payroll checks from his current employer before with no problems. Most of the time the checks weren't held for more that 3 or 4 days or not even held at all. WaMu's random holding caused my parent's rent check to be late, but thankfully we have a very understanding and forgiving landlord.

Anyway, I have a few pointers for those who are having problems keeping track of their charges (I don't mean that in a condescending way). Aside from writing down debits from your account immediately in your checkbook or on a plain old piece of paper, I've also found that it helps to have my bank alert me when my account goes below a certain amount or if I'm overdrawn. Most banks now days have it where you can sign up for text message and email alerts that will tell you immediately when your account goes below a certain dollar amount (set by you) or if your account goes overdrawn. I've saved myself many-a-overdraft fee with them! Also, if you're not already doing so, make it a point to check your account balance at least once a day. I check mine multiple times a day (especially right before I go out to make a purchase) to see what is pending, what has come out, and how much I have left to spend. Don't let the banks steal your money!

I used to have WaMu as well and I noticed their creative reordering of transactions and charging of overdraft fees. I actually moved to WaMu after Bank of America did the same exact thing (reordered transactions and charged overdraft fees). I've since moved to a credit union and am extremely pleased with them.

Actually, WaMu just recently held my father's payroll check for 15 business days for no reason! He's had his checking account for a couple of years now and had previously deposited payroll checks from his current employer before with no problems. Most of the time the checks weren't held for more that 3 or 4 days or not even held at all. WaMu's random holding caused my parent's rent check to be late, but thankfully we have a very understanding and forgiving landlord.

Anyway, I have a few pointers for those who are having problems keeping track of their charges (I don't mean that in a condescending way). Aside from writing down debits from your account immediately in your checkbook or on a plain old piece of paper, I've also found that it helps to have my bank alert me when my account goes below a certain amount or if I'm overdrawn. Most banks now days have it where you can sign up for text message and email alerts that will tell you immediately when your account goes below a certain dollar amount (set by you) or if your account goes overdrawn. I've saved myself many-a-overdraft fee with them! Also, if you're not already doing so, make it a point to check your account balance at least once a day. I check mine multiple times a day (especially right before I go out to make a purchase) to see what is pending, what has come out, and how much I have left to spend. Don't let the banks steal your money!

John, & all others who have issues about these usurous fees. (AS I have a big case as well)

What can we do about it? How/Why can they minipulate the system to profit on the NSF/bank fees. My 18 yr old disabled son was charged $495 of fees & was actually only overspent $11.50 on his account. this was over about a 6 day period. Basically they charged fees on top of fees on top of fees. What legal action is anyone taking on this. Any suggestions. They have debited my (mother's) account for these fees - without authorization.

Thanks for reading - any help or suggessions would be appreciated!

I still do not understand how this continues to happen to so many people.

WTH are ya doing? Write a check / or use a debit card....IMMEDIATELY subtract that amount from your balance and move on. It shouldnt matter when that posts ....if the money is there. If it's not....thats not the banks fault.

I have to wonder if y'all arent trying to do a "float"........which is d**n near impossible now.

Ive read a million of these reports.......as has Edgeman....Steve....JG Shrugged..Strider etc.....I think they allllll agree with me...or I with them. .....this NSF / ODF would cease to exist if you werent trying to spend what isnt there. Its not the banks position to stop you from using what isnt there.....but it IS up to them to nail your a$$ with fees when you do.

I still do not understand how this continues to happen to so many people.

WTH are ya doing? Write a check / or use a debit card....IMMEDIATELY subtract that amount from your balance and move on. It shouldnt matter when that posts ....if the money is there. If it's not....thats not the banks fault.

I have to wonder if y'all arent trying to do a "float"........which is d**n near impossible now.

Ive read a million of these reports.......as has Edgeman....Steve....JG Shrugged..Strider etc.....I think they allllll agree with me...or I with them. .....this NSF / ODF would cease to exist if you werent trying to spend what isnt there. Its not the banks position to stop you from using what isnt there.....but it IS up to them to nail your a$$ with fees when you do.

I still do not understand how this continues to happen to so many people.

WTH are ya doing? Write a check / or use a debit card....IMMEDIATELY subtract that amount from your balance and move on. It shouldnt matter when that posts ....if the money is there. If it's not....thats not the banks fault.

I have to wonder if y'all arent trying to do a "float"........which is d**n near impossible now.

Ive read a million of these reports.......as has Edgeman....Steve....JG Shrugged..Strider etc.....I think they allllll agree with me...or I with them. .....this NSF / ODF would cease to exist if you werent trying to spend what isnt there. Its not the banks position to stop you from using what isnt there.....but it IS up to them to nail your a$$ with fees when you do.

I still do not understand how this continues to happen to so many people.

WTH are ya doing? Write a check / or use a debit card....IMMEDIATELY subtract that amount from your balance and move on. It shouldnt matter when that posts ....if the money is there. If it's not....thats not the banks fault.

I have to wonder if y'all arent trying to do a "float"........which is d**n near impossible now.

Ive read a million of these reports.......as has Edgeman....Steve....JG Shrugged..Strider etc.....I think they allllll agree with me...or I with them. .....this NSF / ODF would cease to exist if you werent trying to spend what isnt there. Its not the banks position to stop you from using what isnt there.....but it IS up to them to nail your a$$ with fees when you do.

You can keep track of your balance just as well as the banks can with a pencil and a piece of paper. Simply write your credits as they become available and your debits when you use your card to pay for things.

This way, you will know the balance of your account before it is reflected in online banking or ATM statements.

It's your choice to not pay those OD fees, but it will not be beneficial to you. You will be reported to Chexsystems, unable to open a checking account for a few years and this will go on your credit report. The higher interest rates alone will cause you to pay more than the $330 or whatever you owe the bank.

I have seen comments from those of you who say "balance your checkbook," etc., and in a way you might consider that valid BUT: WAMU has a lot more computers and resources than I do, and they can keep track of my balance MUCH more easily than I can-- in fact, they can do that in a millisecond, AND THEY DO. They do it all day long. So why can't they simply *reject* my debit card when I go over the limit rather than charging me $330 ($33 per transaction x 10) for debit card overdrafts? Also, what does it cost them to deal with 10 overdrafts? (Versus day to day transactions). This is automatic computer stuff. When I call them to ask "Hey, please reject my card when I overdraw," they say "We can't do that." These are not the only things they have done. I'm going to use the credit union. WAMU can eat those overdraft fees. Let them come after me. I suggest you do the same.

I am a former customer of Washington Mutual. It's not a matter of not monitoring your bank account. I do financial audits for a living, so I watch my bank accounts like a prison warden, and they still tried to get me. The only difference is I noticed immediately.

It wasn't so much that they held checks; they "reordered" transactions. When I was with them, I got paid by direct deposit every other Thursday. On four separate occasions, noticed where they'd moved transactions that didn't occur until days (and on one occasion, a week and a half) afterward before the deposit so that my account overdrew. It was almost like someone was deliberately looking at my account to determine which transactions would have put me over. One of the times I had $500 in my account before payday. In the days afterward, I debited a couple dollars here and there for coffee or lunch. Then a week and a half afterward (actually just days before my next paycheck), I purchased a TV for $625. They moved that transaction to the Wednesday before payday.

It's my nature to keep all receipts, so I had them for each of the incidents, and they were able to refund my money. I got no arguments; they just asked to see my receipts and credited my account for the overdraft fees. They were so easygoing, it made me wonder if they saw this particular complaint often.

My advice is obviously to stop using them, but if for some reason that's not an option, keep all receipts, check stubs, and canceled checks. Print off --not just view--your statement frequently. It helps to prove your case when you go in.

I am a former customer of Washington Mutual. It's not a matter of not monitoring your bank account. I do financial audits for a living, so I watch my bank accounts like a prison warden, and they still tried to get me. The only difference is I noticed immediately.

It wasn't so much that they held checks; they "reordered" transactions. When I was with them, I got paid by direct deposit every other Thursday. On four separate occasions, noticed where they'd moved transactions that didn't occur until days (and on one occasion, a week and a half) afterward before the deposit so that my account overdrew. It was almost like someone was deliberately looking at my account to determine which transactions would have put me over. One of the times I had $500 in my account before payday. In the days afterward, I debited a couple dollars here and there for coffee or lunch. Then a week and a half afterward (actually just days before my next paycheck), I purchased a TV for $625. They moved that transaction to the Wednesday before payday.

It's my nature to keep all receipts, so I had them for each of the incidents, and they were able to refund my money. I got no arguments; they just asked to see my receipts and credited my account for the overdraft fees. They were so easygoing, it made me wonder if they saw this particular complaint often.

My advice is obviously to stop using them, but if for some reason that's not an option, keep all receipts, check stubs, and canceled checks. Print off --not just view--your statement frequently. It helps to prove your case when you go in.

I am a former customer of Washington Mutual. It's not a matter of not monitoring your bank account. I do financial audits for a living, so I watch my bank accounts like a prison warden, and they still tried to get me. The only difference is I noticed immediately.

It wasn't so much that they held checks; they "reordered" transactions. When I was with them, I got paid by direct deposit every other Thursday. On four separate occasions, noticed where they'd moved transactions that didn't occur until days (and on one occasion, a week and a half) afterward before the deposit so that my account overdrew. It was almost like someone was deliberately looking at my account to determine which transactions would have put me over. One of the times I had $500 in my account before payday. In the days afterward, I debited a couple dollars here and there for coffee or lunch. Then a week and a half afterward (actually just days before my next paycheck), I purchased a TV for $625. They moved that transaction to the Wednesday before payday.

It's my nature to keep all receipts, so I had them for each of the incidents, and they were able to refund my money. I got no arguments; they just asked to see my receipts and credited my account for the overdraft fees. They were so easygoing, it made me wonder if they saw this particular complaint often.

My advice is obviously to stop using them, but if for some reason that's not an option, keep all receipts, check stubs, and canceled checks. Print off --not just view--your statement frequently. It helps to prove your case when you go in.

I am a former customer of Washington Mutual. It's not a matter of not monitoring your bank account. I do financial audits for a living, so I watch my bank accounts like a prison warden, and they still tried to get me. The only difference is I noticed immediately.

It wasn't so much that they held checks; they "reordered" transactions. When I was with them, I got paid by direct deposit every other Thursday. On four separate occasions, noticed where they'd moved transactions that didn't occur until days (and on one occasion, a week and a half) afterward before the deposit so that my account overdrew. It was almost like someone was deliberately looking at my account to determine which transactions would have put me over. One of the times I had $500 in my account before payday. In the days afterward, I debited a couple dollars here and there for coffee or lunch. Then a week and a half afterward (actually just days before my next paycheck), I purchased a TV for $625. They moved that transaction to the Wednesday before payday.

It's my nature to keep all receipts, so I had them for each of the incidents, and they were able to refund my money. I got no arguments; they just asked to see my receipts and credited my account for the overdraft fees. They were so easygoing, it made me wonder if they saw this particular complaint often.

My advice is obviously to stop using them, but if for some reason that's not an option, keep all receipts, check stubs, and canceled checks. Print off --not just view--your statement frequently. It helps to prove your case when you go in.

Once again, just common sense here.

Keep an accurate checkbook register.
Do not spend money that is not available in your account.

WOW!! No more NSF fees!

Amazing!!

Ok, I used to belong to Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo, and lastly US Bank.

While I agree and know for a fact that banks are fee driven and that a managers bonus is based partially on how much money he collects from overdraft fees. There are solutions to this problem and I have taken them.

1. Don't allow your account to get overdrawn even a penny.
2. Don't stay with a bank that allows you to overdraw your account, charge you a fee and think it is ok then to spend money you don't have. You will get into the habit of spending beyond your means because you know you have a way out.
I know because I have done it.
3. Switch to a credit union. There are several reasons and these are from personal experience.
1. They don't process larger items first, they post items as they come in. (as it should be)
2. If you try to run your credit card or debit card and there is not enough in your account to cover it the card is declined.
3. They do not put a hold on your deposit for even 24 hours, the money is posted the day you deposit it. It does not matter if it is 10pm or8am so you don't have to worry about a bank showing you have made the deposit and holding your funds until the following day. Therefore spending money you thought you had but did not.
3. they are customer driven not fee driven. I will never go back to a bank again.
4. Do yourself a favor, open up a credit union account and give it a try. After 2 months compare the service you have received and also how much extra money you have in your pocket from no courtesy pays.

This is just my two cents.
The reason banks get away with charging fees is quite simple honestly. You signed an agreement to pay them if you overdraw your account. People should not get so busy with their day to day lives to not take time and balance the check book.

Thanks for reading.

What does it matter when they process the checks? IF the money's in the bank, it shouldn't matter if they process the checks one at a time OR all at once. "Holding them UNTIL my bank account doesn't have enough funds and then running them through". IF you deducted the amounts of the checks from your available balance, AS YOU WROTE THEM, you would have an ACCURATE balance and when the bank "runs" the checks wouldn't matter. You don't have the money in the bank to cover your expenditures. You're not doing this, relying on some stupid internet or phone balance, which DOESN'T give you an accurate picture of how much you really have in your account, you blindly continue to write checks or use a debit card or an ATM card to your heart's content and pay overdrafts and NSF's out the butt. Transferring to another bank isn't gonna do you a hell of a lot of good. Try learning to balance a check book and manage your finances. Don't use foreign ATM machines and get your money orders at a check cashing place, they charge 59 or 79 cents, like I do. Beat the banks at their own game.

You went negative even though you knew you had outstanding checks!!!! How is this the bank's fault? The bank does not know what checks you have written.

What proof do you have about holding the checks???

It's been my experience that banks are processing checks faster than before. At work, we use two banks. One national and one regional. The regional will "cash" our checks from the national the next day. (Deposit on monday, presented at national on Tuesday) The national bank used to take several business days (3), but is now 2 90% of the time. (Deposit on Monday, presented at regional on Wednesday). I have never run into the bank holding a check that was presented to them for payment. (exception: We actually do have a day delay in paying because we use positive pay)

I've seen where the depositing bank (presenting) may have lost track of it enroute then suddenly find it and present it. With paper checks some will get lost in the system *before* it gets to the receiving bank - Check 21 has eliminated most of the problems with checks getting lost.