[Cacti]

It's important to keep in mind that "overdraft fees" is a complete horseshit of a term. The banks could easily just deny the transaction... there's nothing in the universe that says you have allow your customers account to overdraft. As the link says, these really are not fees, but short-term high-interest loans, extended by the bank to the customer, with an intent little different from other high-interest short-term loan places.

These are LOANS, not FEES, at HIGH INTEREST rates, and they're aimed SPECIFICALLY at the poor, because they're the only ones without other options or recourse, and the least likely to fight the issue when it happens.

[MereInterest]

In addition, the fact that they label it as "overdraft protection" is thoroughly ridiculous. Overdraft protection should protect me from overdrafts by denying a transaction. Instead, the worst effect of the overdraft, being charged an additional fee, is applied.

[ceejayoz]

Bingo. It makes the overdraft worse.