1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated March 28, 2022Overdraft: Payment Service or Small-Dollar Credit?Funding Gaps in Consumer Finances One of the earliest documented cases of bank overdraft dates back to 1728, when a Royal Bank of Scotland customer requested a cash credit to allow him to withdraw
2、 more money from his account than it held. Three centuries later, technologies, such as electronic payments (e.g., debit cards) and automated teller machines (ATMs), changed the way consumers use funds for retail purchases, transacting more frequently and in smaller denominations. Accordingly, today
3、s financial institutions commonly offer point-of-sale overdraft services or overdraft protection in exchange for a flat fee around $35. However, recently, a number of larger institutions have announced revisions to their overdraft programs, and some have even dropped the fees associated with such pr
4、oducts. Although these fees can be large relative to the transaction, alternative sources of short-term small-dollar funding, such as payday loans, deposit advances, and installment loans, can be costly as well. Congress has taken an interest in the availability and cost of providing consumers funds