Bank of America rakes in big debit-card fees from people withdrawing unemployment benefits

Bank of America may have ditched its controversial debit-card fees for voluntary customers, but people on unemployment benefits who are forced to use the bank because it has to contract to administer their payments, there are plenty of fees in store. But hey, they can afford it — a $264 unemployment check has lots of stretch in it, right?

To withdraw her benefits, Busby, 33, uses a Bank of America prepaid debit card on which the state deposits her funds. She could visit a Bank of America ATM free of charge. But this small community in the state's rural center, her hometown, does not have a Bank of America branch. Neither do the surrounding towns where she drops off her kids at school and attends church.

She could drive north to Columbia, the state capital, and use a Bank of America ATM there. But that entails a 50 mile drive, cutting into her gas budget. So Busby visits the ATMs in her area and begrudgingly accepts the fees, which reach as high as five dollars per transaction. She estimates that she has paid at least $350 in fees to tap her unemployment benefits.

"It really boggles my mind," she said. "This bank is taking little bits of money out of thousands of pockets, including mine."

Who needs predatory payday lenders when you've got enormous, fantastically profitable banks?

For Bank Of America, Debit Fees Extend To Unemployment Benefits

(via Consumerist)

(Image: Bank of America building, Downtown Los Angeles, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from 8047705@N02's photostream)