Bank fees are on the rise and don’t expect them to go down anytime soon according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

The Federal Reserve Bank’s recent interest rate cuts may have provided some relief for consumers, but banks have been left looking for other streams of revenue to compensate.

For many banks, that additional revenue comes in the form of fees charged to consumers.

The article also attributes the rise as an attempt by banks to compensate for low-balance ‘free’ checking accounts which “don’t bring in much money and may actually cost the bank money.” 

Ouch! Fine print can be costly.

Payday lenders, employees and customers are testifying before the Colorado legislature in an effort to keep their livelihood and consumer finance options intact in the face of special interest groups that want to destroy the payday advance industry.  Some of the key points brought out in this Rocky Mountain News item include: 

          “Employees expressed concern about their jobs, while customers testified that the loans got them through tough times.” 

As the nation totters on the edge of a full-blown recession, should state legislatures really be adding to the problems of unemployment and fewer personal finance options?  You may recall a recent Federal Reserve Bank study that outlined the problems working Americans faced following previous payday advance bans, so why in the world would Colorado want to put its people through the same misery, which may well be even worse if the economy does slip into recession?

Then there’s this little chestnut the special interests like to toss around from time to time when people talk about destroying jobs and eliminating consumer choice by banning the payday advance industry:         

          ‘”Innovative businesses” and credit unions “would step into the void,” he (State Sen. Peter Groff) said.’

Right.  Payday Pundit has already exposed how one credit union plan in Pennsylvania forces customers to borrow more than they need to just so the lender can sock consumers with high loan interest fees while paying a veritable pittance in returns.  Meanwhile other bank fees are soaring.   

And by the way, why would a legislature want to create a marketplace “void,” in the first place?  This just doesn’t pass the smell test.

Between adding to unemployment woes, reducing consumer choice and forcing borrowers into higher priced alternatives, it’s no wonder the Rocky Mountain News has editorialized in favor of letting the payday advance industry remain in marketplace.