Bank of America ejected reader Tycho after he refused to give the teller a thumbprint while cashing a check.
banks
Wells Fargo VISA Gift Card’s Hidden Fees
By 12.18.06
Wells Fargo touts its prepaid VISA gift cards as “the perfect gift” and has sold over a million, but perhaps they would sell a little less if people knew about these terms and conditions, flushed out by Mouse Print:
Can Banks Please Stock Working Pens?
By 12.15.06
How is it that banks can move millions of dollars in a second over a bit of metal wire, but can’t stock working pens at the branch?
New Home Buyer Beware
By 12.14.06
What to look out for when buying a new home: predatory lenders, kickbacks to title insurance companies and super-fun undisclosed terms.
Chase Raises Reader’s APR To 148.14%
By 12.14.06
Chase credit card raised Lee’s effective APR to 148.14%
We Interview Google Checkout; Promises To Protect Consumers
By 12.14.06
Google Checkout looks like a Paypal-killer, but will it stand up for consumers when transactions go wrong? Google says yes.
Pay More Than The Minimum Credit Card Payment, Or You’re A Sucker
By 12.6.06
The minimum payment on your credit card bill may save you from overheating your brain by actually thinking about what you’re doing, but it’s no way to reduce your debt. AllFinancialMatters lays out the math.
Personal RFID Firewall Invented
By 12.6.06
This paper outlines a system for protecting yourself from the threat of RFID bandits snagging the credit card information you broadcast. The “RFID Guardian” jams your RFID signals, then it clones their signals and rebroadcasts them only if and when you tell it. If the banks won’t make the cards more secure, it’s up to the user to protect himself. — BEN POPKEN
EXCLUSIVE: CHASE Screws Struggling Card Members Harder
By 12.5.06
Chase yesterday decided to put the screws harder to its most struggling credit card customers, an insider tells us.
No-Swipe Credit Cards Pose Risk Says Senator
By 12.5.06
Credit cards that use RFID signals to conduct transactions could put consumers at risk for identity theft and credit card fraud, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY said in a press conference Sunday.
Park Some Cash In These High Yielding Accounts
By 11.28.06
Bank Deals blog released their latest roundup of accounts and interest rates. Here’s the highest yielding for each category. Be sure to check out the bank’s policies before opening an account, especially as some of these institutions are not exactly name-brand. — BEN POPKEN
Banks Cash Big Checks First, Maximizing Overdrafts
By 11.22.06
USATODAY research indicates banks typically process checks in order of highest balance, maximizing overdraft fees charged to the customer, critics contend.
Your Good Name: Build Credit With Loans & CD’s
By 11.8.06
Here’s a method from Wikihow on building up your credit and creating credit references.
New Job, New State, Same Bank, Which Routing Number?
By 11.6.06
You move to a new state, get a new job, and thanks to banks gobbling each other up like candy, you don’t have to open a new bank account. But be careful when setting up your direct deposit.
Bank Of America’s Lovesong To Itself
By 11.6.06
Presented before at a company luncheon. Possibly recorded as recently as November 3rd.
WaMu Disables Zero To Operator
By 11.6.06
UPDATE: As of 10:32, the problem seems to be fixed. Bang zero to your heart’s content, our pretties.
