Personal Finance Blog By MoneyRates - Banks
Will bank profits lead to higher money market rates?
January 17, 2011
Bank profits were up sharply in 2010, and that could be a good sign for CD, savings, and money market rates.
Will profit motive spur deposit rates?
December 27, 2010
Could a rise in merger and acquisition activity be a sign that banks may also become more aggressive about acquiring deposits by raising rates?
Will extended unemployment benefits help or hurt the employment situation?
December 20, 2010
The new tax deal might create unintended disincentives for unemployed people seeking work--find out how.
Checking accounts receive the gift of extended insurance from the FDIC
December 13, 2010
A temporary lifting of the insurance limit for noninterest-bearing checking accounts creates extra cash flow management options for individuals and businesses.
Foreclosure documentation scandal speaks volumes about the mechanics of the mortgage mess
October 20, 2010
Find out how sloppy bank foreclosure procedures might prolong the housing slump, despite current mortgage rates reaching record lows.
Banks say consumers will pay the price for pending limits on checking account debit card swipe fees
August 3, 2010
The battle over interchange fees -- the payments retailers make to banks every time you swipe your checking account debit card to buy stuff -- isn't over yet, at least not as far as banks are concerned. The American Bankers Association (ABA) is still fighting the pending fee limit, which was included as part of [...]
Checking Account Overdraft Protection: Would You Pay $30 for a Latte?
June 8, 2010
If you run your checking account close to the line, it's time to decide how to handle overdraft protection, or you could find yourself stammering at the cash register unable to pay. Under a new Federal Reserve rule going into effect this summer, you have to "opt in" for the ability to overdraw your account [...]
Will Your Savings Be Safe in 2014?
June 1, 2010
Before the financial crisis blew up two years ago and bank failures became a routine news item, you might not have thought much about FDIC insurance. So it's easy to understand how thousands of IndyMac Bank customers were caught underinsured when the bank failed in July 2008. At that time, the FDIC insurance limit was [...]
FDIC Warns of Bogus E-Mail
May 5, 2010
At the end of last week, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued a consumer alert warning of a bogus e-mail purporting to be from the FDIC. The e-mail offers recipients $50 for participating in a survey, and asks them to click on a link to a web site. The FDIC alert states that the [...]
What Do Home Sales Have to Do With Your Savings Account?
January 26, 2010
Surely one of the lessons that all bank customers should learn from the bank meltdown of the past two years is that in the global economy, links between people--and people's money--are complex and multiplicitous. The connection between mortgage holders and savers, for example, is a storied one. Banks take deposits from savers and then lend out [...]
