Category: Saving & Banking
-
Turning off debit overdraft coverage stops a $5 charge from triggering a $35 fee
Buying a $5 coffee should never cost you $40. Yet that is exactly what happens when a debit-card purchase you cannot fully cover triggers an overdraft fee that often runs about $35. Here is the part most people never learned: your bank is only allowed to charge that fee on an everyday debit or ATM…
-
Leaving $10,000 in a big-bank savings account can cost about $400 a year versus a 4% online account
The cash sitting in your savings account is either working for you or quietly working against you, and at most big banks it is the latter. Many of the largest banks still pay close to nothing on savings, often around 0.01 percent, while a top online savings account pays roughly 4 percent right now. On…
-
Georgia SunTrust customers can claim up to $1,000 from a $240 million overdraft settlement by September 14
If you banked with SunTrust in Georgia years ago and got hit with overdraft fees on debit or ATM transactions, there may be a check with your name on it. A $240 million settlement is paying eligible Georgia account holders between $5 and $1,000, and the striking part is that you do not have to…
-
You have 60 days to dispute a credit card billing error and can withhold payment
When a wrong charge shows up on your credit card, you are not stuck paying it and hoping for the best. Federal law gives you a clear right to dispute a billing error in writing, and while the card company investigates, you can withhold payment on the disputed amount without it being treated as late…
-
Report a lost debit card within two days and you can lose at most $50
Losing a debit card feels like an emergency, and how fast you react decides how much it can cost you. Federal law caps your losses from unauthorized charges on a lost or stolen debit card, but the cap climbs sharply the longer you wait. Report it within two business days and you can lose at…
-
The Fed may raise rates in September, but top CDs already pay about 4.5%
For most of the past year the story on interest rates was that they were heading down, and savers were told to lock in yields before they fell. The picture has shifted. After cutting rates late in 2025, the Federal Reserve has held steady through 2026, and with inflation and oil prices climbing again, markets…
-
Banks must make the first $275 of a check available the next business day
Deposit a check and your bank may put a hold on it for a few days before you can touch the full amount. What many people do not realize is that federal rules force the bank to hand over at least the first $275 by the next business day. Knowing that number can be the…
-
Your bank deposits are insured up to $250,000, and a few simple moves can cover even more
With four U.S. banks having failed so far in 2026, the most in a year since 2023, it is a fair moment to ask a simple question: if your bank went under tomorrow, is your money safe? For most people the answer is yes, up to $250,000, and with a few deliberate moves you can…
-
Millions still in the old SAVE student-loan plan have a short window to switch or get moved to a pricier one
Millions of borrowers who parked their federal student loans in the SAVE plan are being pushed to make a decision, and the clock is short. After courts ruled the SAVE repayment plan unlawful, the Education Department began moving borrowers off it, giving each one 90 days to pick a new plan. Miss that window and…
-
Big banks pay about 0.38% on savings while online accounts pay near 4%
Savings parked at a big bank are probably earning almost nothing, while the very same money could be working ten times harder somewhere just as safe. The typical savings rate at the largest banks is a rounding error, yet online accounts that carry the same federal insurance are paying near 4%. Moving your cash costs…
