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Informative Articles

Consumer Intelligence: Choosing Smart Debt Consolidation
There is an onslaught of American consumers acquiring more debt. It makes for the business of debt consolidation management an emerging industry. Nonetheless, as the marketplace of the indebted continues to reach proportionate heights, it does...

Credit Cards - The Inventor Of Debt Consolidation Companies
Like with everything good comes something so overly abused, that turns bad. Credit Cards were invented to help others get by without using cash and being able to purchase goods when you can't find an ATM machine to get money from. But, that...

Debt consolidation services can make you debt free
Debt Consolidation services are the most reliable option to secure freedom from debt. They help you in debt management with care and guidance where you are free from debts. A debt struck man has two options to choose fro; one leads to ...

Debt elimination: Legal! Lawful! Ethical! Debt elimination really works.
You are trying hard to eliminate your loans but keep falling back on your old ways. This constantly leads you back to square one situation and debts seem like they are ever increasing. This is the time to go for debt elimination. The good news is...

Drowning in Debt? Tips and Tricks for Getting Out of Hot Water with Creditors
Do you, like millions of other Americans, feel like you’re sinking in an ocean of credit card debt? Well, fear not--there are many options for reducing your debt way before you have to be concerned about receiving notices or daunting telephone calls...

Getting a Debt Consolidation Loan with Bad Credit
If you've ever tried to get a debt consolidation loan with bad credit, then you know that it isn't always easy. It may seem odd that you can have such trouble being approved for a loan designed to help people who are in debt, but many lenders can be...

Perks and Pitfalls of Debt Consolidation
Whether you want to pursue debt consolidation in order to make a good financial situation better or to pull yourself back from the brink of bankruptcy you will want to consider the good and bad things that may result from the choices you make. ...

Reducing Debt Before It's Too Late ... How To Avoid The Pitfalls Of Creeping Debt
Reducing debt usually isn't a high priority for people until they have already gotten into trouble with overspending. Using a few basic guidelines, and debt calculations, can help you see when your debt load is getting into the danger zone. ...

Solve Your Debt Problems
Although it would be wonderful if debt would magically disappear, the only way to get rid of it is to pay it off. Almost everyone has some sort of debt. Although getting rid of debt is not as simple as accumulating it, there is a way you can...

UK Debt Consolidation – Helps you Forget Debts Like a Last Night’s Dream.
Debt consolidation is the name given to a very popular process of debt settlement in the UK. Debtors didn’t have lesser choices before the conception of debt consolidation techniques, for settling their debt load. Debt consolidation however...

 
 
 
Debt Management – Watch Out for Bank Fees!

During the last twenty years, banks have offered a number of improvements in the area of being customer-friendly. The old 9 AM – 2 PM “banker’s hours” are gone, replaced by a schedule that makes it easy for most people to visit when the bank is open. Automatic teller machines are ubiquitous, making it easier to obtain cash even when the banks are closed. And the debit card has made it easier than ever to pay for an item – you don’t even have to write a check anymore. Such conveniences come with a price, however, and banks are charging additional fees for all sorts of services. Some of them can be quite steep, and consumers should watch how they manage the money they have in the bank.

Banks have been talking for years about how convenient it is to use an automatic teller machine. You can use one 24 hours a day and the handy machines often make it unnecessary to interact with a teller. What many banks fail to advertise, however, is that they now charge a fee for any transaction that involves a teller. Most people probably wouldn’t care to pay a $3 fee to walk into a bank to deposit a check, but since many banks charge such a fee, consumers should check their bank statements carefully. Automatic teller machines are certainly convenient, but their use is now mandatory at some banks for no-fee transactions.

Something else consumers should

 


watch out for is overdraft fees. Many banks now offer overdraft protection; you can use your debit card or checkbook to make purchases that exceed the balance in your account. In years past, the bank would have returned the check or denied the debit purchase; now they let the purchase go through. This comes at a cost; the average fee for an overdraft charge is $25. Should you exceed your balance by a mere $10, the $25 charge amounts to a 250% interest rate on the short-term loan of ten dollars. The overdraft business is a good one; banks nationwide earned about ten billion dollars last year on overdraft charges alone.

There are many other situations that banks use to tack on fees, and some of them aren’t all that obvious. In order to make sure that your bank isn’t charging you more than you’d like for your business with them, make sure that you read your statement carefully. If not, the “convenience” of banking could come at a high price.

About the Author

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling, and HomeEquityHelp.com, a site devoted to information regarding home equity lending .