In 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reported that its actions had contributed to the widespread, but not total, elimination of non-sufficient funds fees, saving bank customers billions of dollars. The following year, the CFPB announced that it closed a loophole to reduce overdraft fees, netting another $5 billion in savings for fed-up account holders.
The moves were part of a years-long trend to eliminate or reduce universally loathed, but all-too-common industry fees, spurred by widespread consumer outrage and the arrival of digital rivals offering fee-free banking.
