Your Overjoyed To Have Your Credit Line Raised BY The Bank But Beware - The Bank Is Even Happier
How many times have you been surprised by how much you charged on your credit card in the past month? Well that is what the banks want to happen. When you use that cards very few people keep good track of their total spending.
This gives the banks the opportunity to charge you more interest, over-limit fees, etc. There are ways to prevent this from happening to you but remember the banks are there to make money so you have to be wily to spar with them.
This can be called the Bank "Money Machine"
There are a few different ways that banks make the money that they need to operate. The first is though overdraft/overlimit fees. Many people have to deal with this kind of fee because they lose track of what they are spending. They might forget that they have used a credit card and then write a check that will bounce after they have ran a credit card. When this happens the bank can charge money on the account and they make that money for their business.
The next way they make money is with loans - cars, houses, etc. Besides the regular interest for these loans many times there are additional fees for doing business with the bank. Imagine if you owned a deli - the customers come in and pay you for a sandwich. They get the sandwich and you get the money - but no - you also charge them an additional fee based on how much the sandwich cost. That is what banks are doing when they charge you points for a mortgage. Besides the stated interest of say 5%, there is a 1.5% fee just to borrow the money so the bank can charge you interest for the loan. On a $150,000 mortgage that means you have to come up with an additional $2250 just to GET the mortgage. Then there are late fees, application fees, etc.
The Banks Continue to Encourage You to Use These Methods.
Even with conventional accounts such as checking the banks almost encourage you to spend more than you have as a balance. They market many different programs to handle your overdrafts and will gladly convert these mistakes on your part to money making accounts for themselves. If you have only a conventional checking account most times they will pay a check that is over your balance and then charge you $25-35 for the privilege. Keep in mind this benevolence on their part costs them absolutely nothing to do. They get their money back and a fee also. Just think if they cover your $50 overdraft - they get their $50 back (actually it never left since the money comes from other depositors accounts) and a 50% fee for their trouble. That is called loansharking on the street. Lend $50 for a couple of days, get $75 back - not a bad way to make money.
The banks want you to use their cards - debit and credit - for all your purchases. This business plan encourages you to be very loose with your finances. A check at the restaurant becomes to easy to just put on the card and worry about it later. Gone are the days that we check our wallet to see if we had enough money to actually go to the restaurant. Enjoy now, pay later. We are all digging ourselves a whole that we may never get out from.
Banks are in business and looking for money just like everyone else that is in business. They may just not tell you everything that you want to and need to know. If you are not sure about what the fees are going to be, take a look at the paperwork that you get when your account. This will lay out all of the fees that you may be charged and the other things that you may need to know when opening your accounts. That way you will know what is going on and not be out of the loop.
This gives the banks the opportunity to charge you more interest, over-limit fees, etc. There are ways to prevent this from happening to you but remember the banks are there to make money so you have to be wily to spar with them.
This can be called the Bank "Money Machine"
There are a few different ways that banks make the money that they need to operate. The first is though overdraft/overlimit fees. Many people have to deal with this kind of fee because they lose track of what they are spending. They might forget that they have used a credit card and then write a check that will bounce after they have ran a credit card. When this happens the bank can charge money on the account and they make that money for their business.
The next way they make money is with loans - cars, houses, etc. Besides the regular interest for these loans many times there are additional fees for doing business with the bank. Imagine if you owned a deli - the customers come in and pay you for a sandwich. They get the sandwich and you get the money - but no - you also charge them an additional fee based on how much the sandwich cost. That is what banks are doing when they charge you points for a mortgage. Besides the stated interest of say 5%, there is a 1.5% fee just to borrow the money so the bank can charge you interest for the loan. On a $150,000 mortgage that means you have to come up with an additional $2250 just to GET the mortgage. Then there are late fees, application fees, etc.
The Banks Continue to Encourage You to Use These Methods.
Even with conventional accounts such as checking the banks almost encourage you to spend more than you have as a balance. They market many different programs to handle your overdrafts and will gladly convert these mistakes on your part to money making accounts for themselves. If you have only a conventional checking account most times they will pay a check that is over your balance and then charge you $25-35 for the privilege. Keep in mind this benevolence on their part costs them absolutely nothing to do. They get their money back and a fee also. Just think if they cover your $50 overdraft - they get their $50 back (actually it never left since the money comes from other depositors accounts) and a 50% fee for their trouble. That is called loansharking on the street. Lend $50 for a couple of days, get $75 back - not a bad way to make money.
The banks want you to use their cards - debit and credit - for all your purchases. This business plan encourages you to be very loose with your finances. A check at the restaurant becomes to easy to just put on the card and worry about it later. Gone are the days that we check our wallet to see if we had enough money to actually go to the restaurant. Enjoy now, pay later. We are all digging ourselves a whole that we may never get out from.
Banks are in business and looking for money just like everyone else that is in business. They may just not tell you everything that you want to and need to know. If you are not sure about what the fees are going to be, take a look at the paperwork that you get when your account. This will lay out all of the fees that you may be charged and the other things that you may need to know when opening your accounts. That way you will know what is going on and not be out of the loop.
About the Author:
Richard Moran is a Business Consultant and writer for Money Helpers. The Blog contains 100's of articles, charts, and calculators to aid you in your Business health. All the aspects of the Blog are free and it is updated on an almost daily basis. If you are looking for any Business information or products they can be found on Money Helpers.