Frances Dinkelspiel, Berkeleyside Published 11:15 am PDT, Thursday, October 4, 2018 A shopper leaves the Amazon 4-star store in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan after making a purchase, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018. A shopper leaves the Amazon 4-star store in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan after making a purchase, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018. Photo: Mary Altaffer, AP Amazon has submitted a building permit for 1785 Fourth St. in Berkeley, a space formerly occupied by a Crate and Barrel outlet. Amazon has submitted a building permit for 1785 Fourth St. in Berkeley, a space formerly occupied by a Crate and Barrel outlet. Photo: John McMurtrie / The Chronicle A shopper browses the items on display at the Amazon 4-star store in the Soho neighborhood of New York, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018. A shopper browses the items on display at … [Read more...] about Amazon opening new ‘4-star’ concept store in Berkeley
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Rising checking account overdraft fees: How to avoid getting punched
Susan Tompor Detroit Free Press Published 10:01 p.m. UTC Aug 8, 2018 Would you want to pull out your debit card when you pick up lunch — or maybe even a prescription — and have it declined if you didn't have enough money in the account? After all, you would avoid being dinged by a $30 or $35 overdraft fee if the bank just said no dice right on the spot. Maybe you'd have enough cash in your pocket — or another piece of plastic, such as a credit card — to cover the purchase anyway. It's one strategy to take on those pesky overdraft fees. Complaints continue to mount over the strings of overdraft fees and the mysterious mind-numbing methods that banks use to process transactions and ultimately push some people into incurring even more fees. It's because of overdraft rules that can be all over the map at different financial institutions. Things are so bad that two Senate Democrats want to ban overdraft fees on debit card transactions and ATM … [Read more...] about Rising checking account overdraft fees: How to avoid getting punched
It can cost more for a checking account if you’re black or Latino, study says
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By Tracy Jan Washington Post June 22, 2018 There is a cost to being black or brown when it comes to banking, according to a New America report released Thursday.It can be more expensive to obtain loans — as recent fines against mega-banks Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Chase for discriminating against minorities have demonstrated.Now Thursday’s report from the Washington think tank suggests it can also cost substantially more for services as basic as opening and maintaining a checking account. Advertisement The culprit? Small community banks whose wholesome image and limited geographic scope have allowed them to largely escape scrutiny. Get Talking Points in your inbox: An afternoon recap of the day’s most important business news, delivered weekdays. Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here ‘‘If we care … [Read more...] about It can cost more for a checking account if you’re black or Latino, study says
Scam affects victim’s ability to open new bank account: Middleburg Heights Police Blotter
MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Fraud, Normandie Boulevard: A woman applied for a job earlier this month via an email. The responding businessman sent her a check for $3,885 via the U.S. Postal Service to book flights and hotels. She deposited the check into her bank on May 16. The bank found the check to be fraudulent and removed the money from her account. She later received a letter from her bank stating that the check was bad and that it planned to close her account. The bank did close it May 3. The victim, who realized the transaction was a scam, tried opening a new checking account with another bank, but was denied due to her involvement in the fraudulent check. She had to obtain a police report to have her name removed from the ban list and to open a new account. Theft, Engle Road: A patron at Pump It Up on May 20 placed her wallet inside the glovebox of her unlocked car. She had removed cash and a credit card from it prior to placing it there. She returned to her car about two … [Read more...] about Scam affects victim’s ability to open new bank account: Middleburg Heights Police Blotter
Report: More Credit Unions Offer Free Checking Accounts
Many more credit unions offer free checking accounts than banks, according to a new Bankrate report; 82 percent of credit unions offer free checking accounts to everyone, compared with just 38 percent of banks. Credit unions are also the clear leaders when it comes to overdraft fees, which average $28.20 at credit unions and $33.38 at banks. “Credit unions have a much higher instance of free checking, much lower fees and much lower thresholds to avoid a fee,” Greg McBride, CFA and Bankrate’s chief financial analyst, said in a statement. “Credit unions should absolutely be included in your search for an institution as a price-sensitive consumer.” An area where credit unions align very closely with banks is ATM surcharges. Ninety-two percent of the credit unions in Bankrate’s survey charge non-members who use their ATMs, versus 99 percent of banks. The most common fee for each type of financial institution is $3. There’s also a separate ATM … [Read more...] about Report: More Credit Unions Offer Free Checking Accounts