Culture Watch

"Many consumers do not expect overdraft fees: Among consumers in households charged an overdraft fee in the past year, 43% were surprised by their most recent account overdraft, 35% thought it was possible, and only 22% expected it. Consumers who overdraft infrequently are more likely to be surprised by a fee: 15% of consumers from households charged 1 to 3 overdraft fees expected their most recent transaction to overdraft; among households charged more than 10 overdraft fees, 56% expected their most recent overdraft. Most households incurring overdraft fees had available credit on a credit card: Among households charged 1-3 overdraft fees in the past year, 68% had credit available on a credit card, while 62% of households charged 3-10 overdraft fees had credit available on a credit card. In households charged more than 10 fees in the past year, 51% still had credit available on a credit card."  more »

"First, the Department published model legislation to help states craft appropriate requirements for securing firearms kept in residences and vehicles and to ensure that those firearms do not fall into the hands of children, teens, and prohibited persons. Second, the Department published model legislation to help states craft appropriate requirements for the prompt reporting of lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement. The resources for states announced today follow model legislation on extreme risk protection orders first published by the Justice Department in June 2021. Wednesday, December 13, 2023" more »

"Attorney General Garland provided updates on the Department’s work over the past year on issues unique to Tribal communities and how the Department’s broader work is taking into account Tribal interests. In his remarks, he announced that the U.S. Marshals Service has developed a legislative proposal to formalize its role in enforcing Tribal violent felony arrest warrants, which would expand the practice that the Marshals Service has piloted over the last year to serve Tribal warrants at the request of, and in close coordination with, Tribal law enforcement and the Department’s Office of Tribal Justice." more »

"The ordinary things that we see are easy to pass by... We take them for granted and move on to whatever is next. But maybe if we allow ourselves to look at things differently, we may notice something new about the usual... But things move on. Recently, a crew was out sawing away at one of the mature trees. When the work was finished, the thick branches and sawed trunk lay on the street, a reminder of how big the tree had grown. It was sad. I thanked the tree for sharing its life within our community for so long. Then looking beyond, I could see that new trees, self-planted, were rising down the block." more »