Bank Fees On Benefits?

UNDATED (AP) -A new analysis shows many unemployed Americans are having to pay just to collect their own unemployment benefits -- or pay to call customer service to complain about it.

A review finds that 30 states have struck debit-card benefit deals with banks that include Citigroup, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and US Bancorp.

All the programs carry fees, and in several states the unemployed have no choice but to use the debit cards. Some banks even charge overdraft fees of up to $20.

A Democratic state lawmaker in Missouri has received a wave of complaints about the fees from autoworkers laid off from a suburban St. Louis Chrysler plant. She's urging a statewide review an eye toward reducing the fees.

With the national unemployment rate now at 7.6 percent, the market for bank-issued unemployment cards is booming.