Be aware of ATM risks

Dear Liz: Please warn people to be careful when they use ATMs. Some jerk posted an out-of-order sign on the outside ATM at my bank to get people to use the inside ATM, which had a skimmer installed on it. The crooks managed to get $500 out of my account, but the bank was on the ball and called me. I denied the transaction and the bank returned the money to my account.

People need to be aware of anything funny-looking about the ATM or the door lock. If there’s a piece of plastic sticking above or below the door lock, don’t use it. Personally, I don’t use the ATM anymore. I go inside to a teller to get cash.

Answer: People can be remarkably trusting when it comes to using ATMs. Stand-alone ATMs may be phonies, designed just to take your bank card information and PINs. Even ATMs attached to banks can be compromised, as your experience shows.

Some security experts advise avoiding stand-alone ATMs, and all advise being cautious about using any cash-dispensing machine. Before sticking your card into one, you should grab the slot where your card goes in and see if you can move it. If you can, don’t use the machine. If you enter your card and PIN into an ATM and get any kind of error message, alert your bank immediately, as that can be a sign of a compromised machine.

You don’t have to avoid using ATMs, but they should be used with caution.

Bank’s overdraft fee causes checks to bounce

Dear Liz: My bank unexpectedly charged me a $25 annual fee for overdraft protection, which ironically caused two checks to bounce because I no longer had sufficient funds to cover them. I was then charged overdraft fees of $27.50 for each check, as I was already maxed out on my overdraft protection. I don’t remember the bank charging this fee before and it didn’t mail anything to me warning that this charge was coming. It was so disheartening as I knew I had enough money in the account to cover the checks I had out. Had I known I would have found a way to deposit more money to cover the transactions. I actually feel my banker watches my account looking for ways to rob me.

Answer: Your bank isn’t the real problem here. Yes, banks can charge sneaky fees, and sometimes their disclosure leaves a lot to be desired. But you’re severely mismanaging your money if a $25 fee can cause this big a problem.

You should keep at least a $100 pad in your checking and keep an eagle eye on your balance to try to prevent overdrafts in the first place. If overdrafts occur despite your best efforts, then your priority should be repaying those — not writing more checks.

If you can’t manage that, then you should turn off your ability to overdraft. If you have true overdraft protection — your checking account is linked to a line of credit or credit card — ask your bank to discontinue that. You also should decline the bank’s “bounce protection,” which allows overdrafts on ATM and debit card transactions in exchange for a fee. Recurring transactions and checks can continue to trigger overdraft charges, however, so your best bet is to switch to your debit card and cash until you have a better handle on your cash flow.

Banks can close idle accounts

Dear Liz: A friend of mine had a savings account for many years but didn’t put any money in it for some time. When he went to take money out, the bank had taken the money because he hadn’t used it enough. Are banks allowed to close an account and take the money if the account hasn’t been used in a while without contacting you? If so, how long do you have before the bank can take the money?

Answer: One of two things happened here. Either your friend’s funds were eaten up by account fees, or the account was declared abandoned and whatever money was left was turned over to his state’s unclaimed property office.

The amount of time that has to pass before an account is declared abandoned varies by state and can be as little as one year. Some states expect banks and other financial institutions to make some effort to track down accountholders. In other states, little or no effort is required. In any case, your friend can use the website of the National Assn. of Unclaimed Property Administrators at http://www.unclaimed.org to see if his lost account is being held by his state. While he’s there, he may turn up other unclaimed property that belongs to him, since these offices also collect utility deposits, insurance proceeds, refunds and the contents of safe deposit boxes, among other property.

Why interest rates are so low

Dear Liz: Why are banks not offering a higher interest rate for savings accounts? Why so darn low?

Answer: Blame the economy. Both individuals and businesses are wary about borrowing money. Less demand typically drives down the cost of a product. The product in this case is loans, and the price is the interest rate. With little demand for loans, banks don’t need to compete much for depositor funds and so aren’t paying much on their deposit accounts.

Another big factor is the Federal Reserve, which is keeping interest rates low to try to stimulate borrowing, spending and the economy. The Fed’s big fear is that higher interest rates would choke off the economy’s recovery and send us spiraling into another recession.

How long will this low-interest period last? Nobody knows. We could see higher interest rates if the economy really takes off. In that case, higher demand for loans probably would bid up interest rates and the Fed would switch its focus to containing inflation, which typically means it would try to raise rates further. Many economists are predicting a slow recovery, however, which means low savings account rates are likely to be with us for a while.

In the meantime, you can look for slightly higher rates at sites like MoneyRates (http://www.money-rates.com) and Bankrate.com. Recently the national average for one-year certificates of deposit was under 0.5%, but several financial institutions on those sites were offering rates above 1%.

If you’re being offered rates much above that level, you’re either dealing with a riskier investment or being asked to lock up your money for a considerable period. Neither is a good idea if this money is your emergency fund or you otherwise need it to be safe and accessible.

Bank withdrawals don’t hurt your scores

Dear Liz: Because of financial needs, I may need to withdraw early from several of my certificates of deposit. I know there are fees or penalties associated with the early withdrawals, but would this affect my credit scores or any other financial rating? I don’t want to tarnish my relationships with financial institutions in any negative way and want to keep my credit score of 800-plus untarnished.

Answer: Your credit scores are based entirely on the information contained within your credit reports. If you access them (you can get a free annual look at http://www.annualcreditreport.com), you’ll notice there are no bank accounts listed — only credit accounts.

The only time your behavior with a bank account could wind up on your credit report is if you bounce checks and fail to pay the bank. In that case, your account could be turned over to collections, and that could show up on your credit reports.

Otherwise, though, your banking relationships don’t affect your scores.