BB&T has found a new way to charge NSF fees: deducting the previous day's debits first before adding in credits. A couple of weeks ago I deposited a payroll check in the amount of $269. I then proceeded to make some purchases around town using my debit card. I somehow had a funny feeling about this, and I should have known better and written checks instead. My purchases totaled around $63, and I had gone over what was still in my account.
But I thought I would be just fine because of that deposit. How mistaken I was! I checked the next day and realized I had one NSF charge for $35. I could not understand how this happened, so I called the bank's customer service number. They said that a couple of weeks ago they started processing items differently: debits from prior days are subtracted first, and then deposits are added. I had one debit from a previous day that had not been processed, and it was for 43 cents. The woman on the customer service line said "how sad," but they could not reverse the charge unless it was the bank's mistake. However, I was certainly welcome to call my home bank and talk to them. I did just that, and they did not offer any remedy.
I have had so many NSF charges due to my debit card that I can no longer use it unless it is an extreme emergency. I must either write a check or use my credit card. I think it will eventually come to the point where checks will be instantaneous too. I would have switched banks a long time ago, but my options are rather limited because I need a bank with branches where my parents live and where I live too. I have spent well over $1000 in NSF charges over the last few years, and it has become a very stressful situation dealing with this bank and not knowing from one day to the next if I will owe them money.
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