Pew's Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project educates the public and policy makers by analyzing current overdraft, deposit and disclosure practices, as well as uncovering the hidden costs associated with many checking accounts.
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RESEARCH from the Project
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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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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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- 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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August 24, 2012
Safe Checking: Policy Recommendations
Checking accounts are critical to the financial well-being of American families, but many bear hidden risks. Susan Weinstock, director of the Safe Checking in the Electronic Age project, offers four policy recommendations to make accounts more transparent and fair for consumers. more
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- Issue Brief
- Safe Checking in the Electronic Age
Senior Checking Accounts: Are They Worth It?
Banks offer special accounts for specific populations. Consumers should evaluate their options carefully before choosing their account type. As Americans open checking accounts across the country, many are often offered special products that banks market exclusively to seniors.
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- Issue Brief
- Safe Checking in the Electronic Age
Student Checking Accounts: Are They Worth It?
Banks offer special accounts for specific populations. Consumers should evaluate their options carefully before choosing their account type. As Americans open checking accounts across the country, many are often offered special products that banks market exclusively to students.
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July 23, 2012
Regulatory Comment: Proposed Rulemaking on General Purpose Reloadable Prepaid Cards
The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Financial Security Portfolio is pleased to provide comments in response to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on General Purpose Reloadable Prepaid Cards.
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- Issue Brief
- Safe Checking in the Electronic Age
Overdraft America: Confusion and Concerns About Bank Practices
Are consumers knowingly consenting to overdraft coverage or are they signing up for a potentially costly product that they don’t understand? more
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April 11, 2012
Key Focus Group Findings on Prepaid Debit Cards
This fact sheet focuses on the lessons learned from consumers who purchase and use prepaid debit cards. more
