Clark Howard: Options For Overdraft Fees

ATLANTA -- Overdraft fees can be one of the most frustrating and difficult to understand rules for bank customers, but some new rules are making it easier for everyone.

"I went over and then I went over two more times, and I had to pay 150 bucks" Julie Gonzalez told Channel 2 Action News.

Currently, if you don't have enough on your debit card, your purchase will most likely be declined. That's because the Federal Reserve recently stopped allowing banks to charge customers overdraft fees unless they opt in for overdraft coverage.

Channel 2's Clark Howard says one option banks are choosing is linking your debit checking to your savings or credit card to cover the balance.

In the future, customers at the checkout counter who have their card denied may be able to opt for a bank option that sends you a text message asking if you want to proceed with the transaction.

However, if you choose yes, the downside could be a hefty overdraft fee.

Bank of America officials said they’re planning to launch the text option sometime in 2012 and experts believe other banks will follow.

"We offer our customers choices," Jay Lawrence of Wells Fargo said.

Lawrence said that Wells Fargo has been using mobile alerts for a few years now. The alerts can be set up to go to your email or cellphone. At Wells Fargo, you can have also alerts sent to your phone when your balance falls below a certain amount.

Customers who decide to opt for overdraft protection at Wells Fargo will be able to choose either to link to another account or an overdraft service.

If a customer chooses the overdraft service and goes over his or her balance they could be charged a $35 fee, but “if you make a deposit to cover the overdraft by 9 p.m. at night, no fee", Lawrence said.

Clark also says customers should check with their bank to see what kind of options they have. If you don't like the options your bank is offering, shop around and find a bank that better suits your needs.

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As of right now there are still the same fees. As of October 18th there will be no fee for overdrafting the account by under $ 10, and there will be a limit to how many overdraft fees you can have per day of 4 a day instead of the 10 a day it is now. There will most likely be a fee but it probably won’t show up until tomorrow depending on when the account was overdrawn.


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Congressional Record, V. 151, Pt. 17, October 7 to 26, 2005

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