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Payday Lending in America
This collection presents original research findings from the Pew Safe Small Dollar Loans Research Project on the existing landscape for payday lending around the country. more
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- Interactive
- Safe Checking in the Electronic Age
Still Risky: Bank Fees and Disclosures in the States
Where consumers live has a significant impact on how easily they can access information on terms, conditions and fees, as well as how much they will pay to maintain an account, overdraft, or accrue other fees.
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October 9, 2012
Still Risky
Banks are continuing key banking practices that put consumers at financial risk and potentially expose them to high and unexpected costs for little benefit.
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- Interactive
- Safe Checking in the Electronic Age
Quiz: Find the Fee
Do you read your bank's disclosures when opening an account? Where can consumers find important provisions about checking accounts? Take this interactive quiz to learn the answers.
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- Media Coverage
- Safe Checking in the Electronic Age
More Evidence That We’re Getting Hammered With Bank Fees
It's hard to tell which is piling up faster — the fees bank customers have to pay these days or the research showing just how pervasive these fees are. more
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September 25, 2012
Policy Recommendations: Improving Checking Account Consumer Protections
Pew has developed four key recommendations that can inform the efforts of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to improve bank transparency and practices, allowing consumers to comparison shop for the product that best meets their needs.
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- Media Coverage
- Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project
Pa. Senate panel Hears Testimony About Proposed Payday Lending Law
A controversial bill that would create a friendlier environment for payday lenders to take up residence in Pennsylvania is vying for Senate action this fall. more
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- Data Visualizations
- Safe Checking in the Electronic Age
Long on Words, Short on Protections
Pew’s research showed that the median length of bank disclosures for key checking account policies and fee information was 69 pages.
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September 6, 2012
Prepaid vs. Checking
What kind of consumer are you? How would switching from a checking account to a prepaid card affect the fees you pay when you manage your money? Find out with our new interactive quiz. more
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September 6, 2012
Loaded With Uncertainty
General purpose reloadable prepaid cards are rapidly growing in popularity. This study reveals that the prepaid card is a risky, largely unregulated alternative to the traditional checking account, but may work for some consumers who frequently incur high bank overdraft fees.
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- Media Coverage
- Safe Checking in the Electronic Age
Banks simplifying checking account disclosures
Bowing to pressure from consumers and Congress, major banks are simplifying the information they provide to customers about their most basic product — the checking account. Bank of America Corp. said Wednesday that it was adopting plain language disclosures that
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