WHERE DO OVERDRAFT FEE CHARGES GO?

DID YOU EVER OVER DRAW YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT? MOST LIKELY AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE YOU HAVE. SO THEN THE BANK CHARGES YOU AN OVERDRAFT FEE, USUALLY IN THE AREA OF $25 TO $30. NOW WHAT THE HECK COSTS THE BANK $25 OR $30 WHEN YOU OVERDRAFT? THIS FALLS INTO THE "I DON'T GET IT CATEGORY." OKAY, LETS SEE IF WE CAN FIGURE THIS OUT. THE RED FLAG GOES UP ON YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT THAT YOU HAVE JUST OVERDRAWN YOUR ACCOUNT BY 10 CENTS WHEN YOU WENT TO BUY A CUP OF COFFEE AND A DONUT USING YOUR DEBIT CARD. OF COURSE IT DID NOT RED FLAG WHEN YOU BOUGHT THAT COFFEE AND DONUT AT THE REGISTER, UNLESS YOU HAD SOME SORT OF OVER DRAW PROTECTION ARRANGEMENT WITH YOUR BANK. SO LET'S SAY THAT YOU DIDN'T. THE BANK THEN GETS A RED FLAG THAT YOU (HORRORS) OVERDREW YOUR ACCOUNT AND ARE NOW MINUS 20 CENTS IN YOUR ACCOUNT. BANK OFFICIALS BEGIN TO SPREAD THE WORD WHEN THE ALARM GOES OFF. "WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE SIR. THIS ACCOUNT IS OVERDRAWN BY 20 CENTS." "OKAY BEANBLOSSIM, GOOD WORK, TACK ON THE $30 OVERDRAFT FEE IMMEDIATELY." OKAY, SO LET'S BREAK DOWN THE COST OF THE OVERDRAFT FEE. THE BANK MANAGER GETS $5 FOR BEING CALLED AWAY FROM HIS DESK, BEANBLOSSIM, THE CLERK, GETS $1 FOR ALERTING THE BANK MANAGER AND ANOTHER $2 FOR HAVING TO TAKE THE TIME TO KEY IN THE OVERDRAFT INTO THE BANK'S COMPUTERS. BECAUSE BOTH THE CLERK AND THE BANK MANAGER WERE TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR FORECLOSURE DUTIES, ANOTHER $4 WAS ADDED ON TO THE CHARGES. ADD IN THE COST OF THE ELECTRICITY USED IN POWERING THOSE BANK COMPUTERS AND YOU HAVE ANOTHER $8. FINALLY, THE PROFIT MARGIN THAT THE BANK NEEDS TO MAKE IN ANY GIVEN DAY FOR THEIR SHAREHOLDERS, WHICH, IS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON FOR OVERDRAFT CHARGES, AND THAT COMES TO $10. OUR GRAND TOTAL FOR YOUR COFFEE AND DONUT OVERDRAFT, $30.
OF COURSE I JUST MADE THESE CHARGES UP, BUT I COULD BE RIGHT ON THE MARK HERE. CONSIDERING THAT MY BANK, WHICH CHARGES THE SAME OVERDRAFT FEES, HAS FREE COFFEE AND COOKIES DISPLAYED IN THEIR LOBBY EVERY TIME I GO THERE, (LOLLIPOPS TOO) I HAVE DECIDED THAT RATHER THAN TAKE THE CHANCE THAT I MIGHT INCUR AN OVERDRAFT FEE, I MIGHT BE BETTER OFF JUST DRIVING THE SIX MILES TO THE BANK AND GET MY COFFEE AND COOKIES THERE. WHO PAYS FOR THOSE FREE COFFEE AND COOKIES ANYHOW? OOPS, MUST BE COMING OUT OF THOSE OVERDRAFT FEES. TIME TO RECALCULATE MY FIGURES.