Overdraft Fees
Returned check fees can range from $25 to $40 and combined with overdraft protection fees. Consumers pay $8 billion in overdraft fees each year.
Bank Fees
Banks have charged consumers over $10 billion in fees simply to maintain a minimum balance required for a checking account.
Pawnshops
A $400 loan from a pawnshop can end up costing $1,000 due to exorbitantly high interest rates ranging from 5% to 25%. Currently there are over 11,000 pawnbrokers in the United States.
Subprime Credit Cards
A subprime credit card can have a credit limit of $300, an annual fee of $49, an account processing fee of $99, a program participation fee of $89, a monthly account maintenance fee of $10, and an APR of over 30%. These add up to over $237 per year just to maintain access.
Payday Loans
The average payday loan costs $15 to $100 in origination fees with ballooning interest rates and APRs around 400% – often trapping workers in an inescapable cycle of debt.
Late Fees & Credit Card Debt
The average household has over $8,000 in credit card debt. Missed credit card payments lead to late fees charges as high as $40 or more within 6 months.
(Courtesy of: Sisodia, R., & Gelb, M. J. (2019). The healing organization: awakening the conscience of business to help save the world. HarperCollins Leadership.)