Want a REAL economic stimulus, that needles the rich and banks to a small degree?

[hyphenate]

Well, actually, the combined effect would be giving back perhaps millions to the lower and middle classes.

It's like this: You need money, you got to an ATM to get some from your account. If you happen to be near an ATM for your oewn bank, yay you. No fees, no charges.

Now suppose you aren't near an ATM for your own bank. You know that the owner of that ATM is going to charge you a fee. It could be anywhere from $1.50 to $3 nowadays. In the old days, you'd grit your teeth and take it out, resolving to memorize the list of ATMs from your own bank so you won't have to do that again.

But NOW, not only do you take a hit from the owner of that ATM, but now your OWN bank charges you a fee for using an ATM out of network!!

These fees, to take out your OWN money are now costing you hundreds of dollars. And THIS is what needs to stop--immediately.

If these fess, especially charged by your OWN bank could be curtailed, or stopped, imagine how much more money would go back into circulation, and how a little less will end up in billionaires' bonus checks!

[ChandlerJr]

1. In the old days you planned ahead a little

and had cash on hand, there were no ATM's or even drive thru's. Imagine that world.

[hyphenate]

5. I wouldn't have survived. And really, I didn't

I never had money when I needed it, gave in to impulse buying, and hated writing checks.

Now, I use my debit card for everything. I know exactly how much I have, I pay my bills on time, and if I need it, most places have debit machines or capability.

Getting rid of those fees would help me out a lot, especially with the fixed income disability. Having an income of less than 15,000 a year works wonders on a budget.

[ChandlerJr]

8. I was more amused by your perspective of "the old days"

To me the old days were before branch banking, banks closed at 3pm (some even closed for an hour at mid-day to cut off the days work) and stayed open late on Friday night to get the payday rush. No weekends, no drive-thrus and certainly no ATM's.

On the other hand many of the bars and liquor stores where I lived had paycheck cashing services on Fridays, imagine that!

[hyphenate]

10. You must be older than dirt, then!

j/k!

It's been a major odyssey from the old days of smaller banks, not many branches, and tellers who actually knew who you were!

No, I did live through them. The first time I ever heard of debit checking/bank card, was in 1984, so I know what you mean. But that still speaks to the whole technological leap we've taken in the last 25 or so years. I came from one of the first generations that had some element of computing in our lives. I was a quick study, but I was unprepared for the enormous steps we've taken since the 1960s, especially.

I recall some episodes on TV back in the 60s, where "computers" threatened people's jobs, when in fact, personal computing helped create many jobs! It's fear of the unknown that seems to grip many people, and we need to resolve that going into a future where technology makes giant leaps about every 25 years.

But banks really have a backward mentality, and greed and accumulated wealth are more important to them than the populace. And that's why we need to understand that it's OUR money that they are using to make themselves rich. There are few accounts that most lower class citizens can afford anymore that offer any kind of interest. Now, we're being charged to death for the use of our own money. THAT means a lot to me, as it likely does for millions of Americans.

[pipoman]

2. Why I bank at a credit union..

I can go to any ATM at any other credit union on the 'coop' system and there are no fees. I just got a letter from my credit union saying from now on, if I am charged an ATM fee, they will reimburse me up to $10 per month. Credit Unions rock.

[prairierose]

3. I love my credit union ....

I plan to never do business with banksters again.

[TlalocW]

4. ATM fees was the main campaign issue that Al Franken ran on

In his fiction novel about his becoming president in, "Why Not Me?"

And, hey, he won too. Weird thing is, Lieberman was his vice-president (before Gore chose him) as Al was a reformed Jew, and Lieberman was Orthodox, he felt that offered a nice balanced ticket for America.

TlalocW

[hyphenate]

6. Pointing these things out is one thing

But doesn't anyone have a fight in them to change it all? I have no support system, so all I can do is throw the idea out to everyone and see if anyone is interested in moving forward with the idea in a grassroots sort of way.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. You fight it by voting with your feet.

Are there no credit unions in your area that you can join? Our local educational credit union is currently bursting at the seems with new customers. Meanwhile, B of A is tanking.

[hyphenate]

9. There are a couple, but they have

only a few branches. I am better off at a regular bank, the one I have is spread out across New England, and I can find a branch if I absolutely need to. OTOH, I furiously try to avoid the ATMs of other banks, trying instead to use the grocery stores or such to get money. It's those fees which mess up most people. I think fighting those fees is a major talking point for the president and congress. We talk about trying to curtail the ever increasing profits to banks at the expense of the regular people, and this is one such case where things need to change.