Much about overdrafting behavior remains a mystery. Given the small amounts and short periods by which overdrafts occur, why aren’t many of them avoidable?

Could overdrafting and payday borrowing actually compound each other, leading to greater use of both products? We asked the banks to compile some key behavioral statistics before and after the discontinuation of their “deposit advance” programs.

When it comes to “small dollar credit,” overdraft is the elephant in the room. The inexplicability of overdrafting — of why a small group of people seems willing to pay so much for transactions that could be easily avoided — has been the subject of policy debates within our industry for some time.

Working in the consumer payments business, you learn a lot about your customers from the timing of their bill pay traffic.

This blog series aims to explore solutions in one area of household finance where innovations by business, technologists, and regulators can all make a positive difference: the cash crunch too many families face at the end of the month, when their bills come due and their bank balances approach zero.