<p>Financial products are crucial to helping Americans save, borrow, and manage their money. Yet they may contain risks that can drive up debt, decrease savings and impact our wellbeing. We work to better protect consumers by reducing dangerous and unnecessary risks in many of the financial products people use every day.</p> http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room.aspx The <em>Philadelphia Inquirer </em>published Wednesday an article about how payday loans trap borrowers in debt. The article cites both a study from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a <a title="February report" href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=85899452768">February report</a> by Pew's Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:44:01 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=85899470995&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=The Pew Charitable Trusts - Newsroom&WT.rss_a=CFPB: Payday Loans Leading to 'Revolving Door of Debt'&WT.z_contenttype=NewsArticle Many taxpayers are choosing to receive their tax refund on their prepaid card. What happens if a card is lost or stolen? Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:23:50 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=85899468583&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=Family Financial Security&WT.rss_a=Infographic: Risky Refunds&WT.z_contenttype=Report Sheila Bair, the former chairwoman of the FDIC and a senior adviser at The Pew Charitable Trusts, wrote an op-ed in the April 7 edition of USA TODAY. Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:40:36 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=85899466667&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=Family Financial Security&WT.rss_a=Be Wary of Prepaid Card Protection&WT.z_contenttype=OpinionEditorial For someone in need of quick cash, a payday loan can look like a way to avoid asking loved ones for help or getting into long-term debt. But these loans usually prove unaffordable, leaving borrowers in debt for an average of five months. Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:35:26 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=85899452768&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=Family Financial Security&WT.rss_a=How Borrowers Choose and Repay Payday Loans&WT.z_contenttype=Report SunTrust voluntarily adopted The Pew Charitable Trusts’ disclosure summary for checking accounts today, becoming the seventh of the 12 largest banks in the country now using the simple disclosure box. Currently, this consumer-friendly information is available to over 40 percent of the US market, by deposit volume. Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:00:00 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=85899434288&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=Family Financial Security&WT.rss_a=More Than Half of Top 12 U.S. Banks Now Use Pew's Model Checking Account Disclosures&WT.z_contenttype=PressRelease <p>In this update to Hidden Risks: The Case for Safe and Transparent Checking Accounts (April 2011), Pew’s Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project continues its study of checking account terms and conditions to examine both the state of the marketplace and the effect of current regulations.</p> Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=85899396977&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=Family Financial Security&WT.rss_a=Still Risky: An Update on the Safety and Transparency of Checking Accounts&WT.z_contenttype=Report A Pew survey finds that a majority of first time borrowers used payday loans for utility bills and other recurring expenses. Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:32:53 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=85899418410&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=Family Financial Security&WT.rss_a=Payday Loans Cost More than People Think They Do (Fall 2012 Trust Magazine Briefly Noted)&WT.z_contenttype=Summary <p><span>The Russell family of Kirkland, Wash., makes about $230,000 with Charles Russell, 43 years old, working as a systems analyst for Microsoft Corp. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, that puts them among the top 5% of American households. </span><span>But their affluence might not be apparent based on the way Mr. Russell conducts his personal finances. He has no bank account, having dumped it due to irritation over fees and overdraft penalties. Instead, for more everyday transactions he uses a debit-card offered by NetSpend Holdings Inc. </span></p> Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:20:00 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=85899417063&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=Family Financial Security&WT.rss_a=Footnote to Financial Crisis: More People Shun the Bank&WT.z_contenttype=NewsArticle The report, <em>Loaded With Uncertainty: Are Prepaid Cards a Smart Alternative to Checking Accounts?</em> reviews 52 prepaid cards that comprised at least 75 percent of the market in 2011. Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:15:00 GMT http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=85899415915&WT.rss_ev=f&WT.rss_f=Family Financial Security&WT.rss_a=Loaded With Uncertainty&WT.z_contenttype=Report Terms and Conditions Page http://www.pewtrusts.org/terms_and_conditions.aspx